High Noon
by Narasen
Summary: Sequel to Broken Dawn and Solstice
1. Chapter 1

**Bella POV**

"Damn it, Alice! What am I going to do with her?" I flung myself into the couch, probably more dramatically than the situation warranted, but feeling peevish enough not to care. "She's at the big house right now, telling Carlisle and Esme what _monsters_ Emmett and I are for not letting her sneak around with that damned boy. What am I supposed to do?" I wailed, knowing that my sister couldn't give me any advice based on my daughter's future, because she couldn't see it.

She sighed heavily and sat down next to me, throwing her hand up to her forehead in a faux swoon. "Oh, woe is Bella! To have the first ever rebellious teenage daughter!" I swatted at her as she snickered, but I felt my mood lightening considerably.

"Seriously though, Alice. What am I going to do? I feel like the world's biggest hypocrite. Edward was sneaking in my window every night when I was her age. Well, sort of her age. I mean, I wasn't seven... Whatever. You know what I mean. I can't very well try to keep the two of them apart, can I? Not considering my behavior. Lord, Charlie always said that one day I would have kids and I would understand." I rubbed my open palm against both of my eyes, a gesture from my human days that had stuck with me through immortality, and sighed. "Shit. You know, Emmett's no help with this one, either. He just says. 'Bella, you've got to let her grow up sometime and make her own choices.' Well, I'm not sure that she should be. I mean, physically she's mature, but she's only seven years old. She has so little life experience..." Alice crooked an eyebrow at me, and I glared as I continued. "Yes, yes, I know. She has no life experience because I haven't let her, blah blah blah. It's difficult, Alice! She's a child, for Christ's sake. I don't want her to end up with Nahuel just because he's the logical choice, and the only other hybrid she's ever met."

"Bella," she spoke gently, reassuringly, "he may be the only male hybrid _in the world._ What Renesmee lacks in experience, she more than makes up for in knowledge. We've taught her well, she's met scads of vampires that have shared their experiences with her... we've done all that we could do to let her experience life, short of handing her over to Aro himself. She's shown no interest in full vampires, and any human she might show interest in would have to be changed before he could get to know her well enough to see that she's different." Intellectually, I knew that Alice was right. For all we knew, Nahuel was the only male of her species in the world, and there was no doubting that the boy was in love with her. "We live so far from humanity, these days. Since we moved here to Montana, things have changed for us. Our family is not mingling like we once did with the human world, save for Carlisle and his work. We don't go to school, we can't send Renesmee... This may be all of the world that she ever sees, Bella. And she's _happy_ when she's with him. You can't deny that, regardless of your feelings on the subject."

"I know," I whispered. "I just don't want her to end up like I did. I don't want her to marry her first love, only to have it fall apart in her hands. It was hard for me, Alice. You know that. I love Emmett, and I am grateful for the choices that I made because they led me to him, but it has not been an easy road. I just want to keep her safe from feeling pain for the rest of our existence, and I know I can't do that. I know he loves her, and I know she loves him."

Grinning at me impishly, Alice nudged my shoulder. "You're just afraid of being a grandmother at eighteen. Go ahead, admit it." With her preternatural second sight, Alice pirouetted out of my swinging arm.

"Shut up!" I shouted through my laughter. "I'm not even ready to think about that part of their relationship yet. Oh God," I moaned, "I'm going to have to have The Talk with her, aren't I?"

Nodding sagely, Alice's tinkling voice filled the air. "Yes, I think you're going to have to. I can't see the conversation, obviously, but it doesn't take a psychic to know that it's a matter of time before it becomes a necessity." If I were human, my face would have been on fire and the color of a tomato. "Relax, Bella. It's not that big of a deal. She's going to be a lot more embarrassed if you are, and she's not stupid. I'll be there, with you, if you want. I mean, I don't think this is the sort of thing you want to call Emmett in for." I shuddered at the thought of my husband trying to have the sex talk with Renesmee, and nodded.

"Sure, sure. Whatever you think is best."


	2. Chapter 2

**Alice POV**

It was beyond irritating to have to go into the whole sex talk thing blind. One would assume that I would get used to it with time, but I never had.

"Darlin', just remember to tell her to use condoms and keep it down. Everything else is just biology. She's already covered this with Carlisle in her classes. She knows the mechanics; all you and Bella have to do is make sure she's got the 'being smart' stuff under control." I looked deep into the eyes of my husband, pushing a swell of gratitude out to him, being sure that he could feel it.

"Thank God for Philadelphia," I whispered, thinking of the rainy day and the cafe where I'd found him.

"Yes," he said as he pressed his lips into my short hair, "thank God for Philadelphia, rainy days, and for you."

Feeling the familiar stirring in my body, I kissed him passionately before pulling away. "I have to have the talk, not put on a demonstration of the walk of shame," I said. "Walking in with sex hair and rumpled clothes is in poor taste," I murmured, not wanting to leave him.

"Go," he said, laughing as he gently steered me towards the door. "I'll be here when you get back. I'll always be here when you come home."

****

"The thing we're trying to tell you is that we know you're growing up. We're all going to make an effort to treat you more like an adult," Bella looked at me pointedly, and I nodded as she continued, "and in exchange, you will promise to comport yourself as one in our absence." It took everything I had not to giggle at Bella's tendency to sound like a prim Victorian novel when she was stressed.

Renesmee eyed us suspiciously. "So what you're saying here is that I have to promise to use condoms and not have sex in our house. You're giving me permission to have _sex_ with Nahuel, but you wouldn't let us out to see a damned movie? What is this shit?"

"First of all," I said, as infusing my voice with as much reproach as I could muster, "watch your mouth. You'd get a lot further if you didn't try to convince us of your maturity by talking like a sailor. Second of all, no one is giving you _permission_ to have sex. That's a highly personal decision that none of us has a right to make for you. We're trying to tell you that we trust you to make good choices, and that you're going to be given a bit more freedom around here in exchange for your assurances that you will do so. A lot is riding on your ability to act like an adult, like your mother tried to say." I sat back, hoping that Bella didn't think I'd stepped on her toes by telling Renesmee to pipe down. She just looked relieved, so I kept going. "I know you feel that this is unfair, but please, try to see things from your mother's perspective. You're the only child she's ever going to have, and you're only seven years old. Most six year olds are losing their baby teeth, not freaking out about dating. You're different, Renesmee, and that's a good thing. But you can't forget that you haven't seen much of the world. " She opened her mouth to let a good comeback fly, but I held up my hand to stop her. "I know you haven't seen much of the world because we haven't let you out of our sight, but we're trying to tell you that we're willing to ease up on you a bit."

Chastened momentarily, Renesmee bowed her head in a gesture that was so like Bella it made me want to laugh all over again. For all that she looked like Edward, she had inherited much from her mother, including her fiery temper. "I'm sorry. I'm just not sure how to take all of this. I've been begging to just go to a movie or dinner with Nahuel, and none of you would let me. Now you've got me here, giving me this awkward talk about being careful and stuff… I don't know. It's just awkward."

"I'm sorry," Bella said, looking like her heart was going to break. "I know it's a lot to take in. I'm just trying to tell you that I trust you, baby. It hurts to admit it to myself, but I know you're grown up now. I can't keep holding you back, and that breaks my heart. Other moms get eighteen years before they get to this point; sometimes I feel like you were only just born, and now I'm having to give you up." Her chest was heaving, and I wanted to walk away to let them have their moment, but I also didn't want to get up and attract attention to myself.

Renesmee got off the couch and flew to the chair where Bella was sitting, collapsing into her mother's lap and wrapping her arms around her neck. "I'm not all grown up yet. Not all the way, and I still need my Momma. I'm sorry that I've been such a monster lately, I just don't know how to process all of the things that are going on in my head sometimes." She leaned her head into Bella's shoulder, Bella's arms almost too short to contain Renesmee's long, lithe body.

"You still have a Momma, baby. I'll always be here, whenever you need me." She was unconsciously rocking Renesmee back and forth, still struggling to hold all of her daughter's body close like she had when she was an infant.

"Momma?" Renesmee's voice sounded very young, and I wondered what she was going to say, cursing my hybrid-shaped blind spot for the millionth time. "Can I ask you for a really big favor?" She looked at Bella with so much hope, I knew that her request would be granted if it were even remotely reasonable.

"What, baby? What do you need?" Bella's brow was furrowed, trying to puzzle out Renesmee's intentions.

"Emmett said he would teach me how to drive, whenever you were okay with it. Can I _please_ get my driver's license?"

****

Jasper and I sat on the porch of the big house, along with Carlisle, Esme and Bella. Nahuel and Huilen had gone hunting, but were due back any time.

"Okay, brakes. Brakes, Reenie. _Brakes!_" The little Volkswagen Jetta that Emmett and Carlisle had picked out for Renesmee squealed to a stop, just a scant few inches from the corner of the house. Emmett was laughing, but Renesmee looked traumatized. "Damn, Little Bit. You've got to listen to me, okay? When I say stop, I'm not trying to spoil your fun, I'm trying to tell you that I've got better eyesight and better reflexes that you do. Not to mention the fact that I've been driving since the days of the Model T. Just trust me, okay? Now put it in reverse…"

The next few hours were fraught with peril and near misses, but by nightfall, Renesmee was driving around the massive ranch with much more confidence. I thought once again how smart Carlisle had been to buy the place; we owned miles of land, and had yet to have a single visitor. He had a hell of a commute to the local hospital, but he didn't seem to mind it. I was thrilled to have the chance to just do what I liked with my days, instead of worrying about attending high school over and over.

We all cheered when Renesmee pulled the Jetta cleanly into the garage, and Emmett scooped her up into one of his patented bear hugs. Nahuel was sitting beside me, awaiting her return patiently. When she walked over to him, he very tenderly brushed a tendril of her hair from her face, letting his hand linger at the back of her neck. He kissed her very gently on the forehead, and then stepped away from her.

Bella cleared her throat, and Nahuel looked at her, a mixture of fear and defiance evident on his features. "Renesmee tells me that the two of you would like to go into town for a movie, or dinner." Her eyes were soft and her expression encouraging, but Nahuel still seemed scared to death.

"Yes, that would be, er, great. We, ah, are… fond of one another. As you know, I suppose. " He blushed, and I felt a great affection for him. Nahuel had always been sort of on the periphery of the family, despite all of our best efforts to include him. He never seemed to deliberately pull away; he just seemed awkward and uncomfortable when he was with anyone but Renesmee.

I stepped closer to him, and put my arm around his shoulders. "You are a part of this family, Nahuel." He flushed deeper, and Bella nodded.

"Yes, you are. A very important part of it. I would be honored if you took my daughter out, but please, don't let her drive." The tension was broken by laughter, and we all trailed into the house.


	3. Chapter 3

**Esme POV**

I could hear Alice and Huilen in Huilen's little studio, arguing about the length of a skirt and whether or not Renesmee should wear it on her date with Nahuel. I smiled to myself as I sketched out a design for another house. Since Bella's newborn period was long over, I could see no reason why we couldn't all live under the same roof again, provided that the house was large enough to accommodate everyone's need for privacy.

Bella wandered in to the kitchen, and I placed my pencil on the table to signal that I was giving her my undivided attention. "Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt you, Esme. I'll come back later…" she trailed off, and turned to go.

"No, you're not interrupting, Bella. I was just passing the time, plotting out another house. Unless I can convince Carlisle to let us build another one, it's just a way of entertaining myself. Though I would love for us all to live in the same house again." I could hear the wistful tone in my voice, so I quickly changed the subject to avoid making Bella feel awkward. She was, after all, the first of my adopted children to move into a guest house. "What can I do for you? I would know that 'I need to talk to someone' look anywhere." I smiled at her, and gestured towards the chair adjacent to me.

As she sank down in it, I could see her trying to put her thoughts in order. "Well," she began uncertainly, "I don't know. I just was wondering what it was like for you, when you realized that Nahuel was in love with Renesmee. You're so maternal, I know that you must see her as one of your own almost as much as I do. Do you feel… awkward about their, er, future together?" _Ah,_ I thought. _She's worried about how she will deal with the knowledge of them having a physical relationship._ "Bella, I know that this is bound to be awkward for you. It was awkward for me, with Rosalie and Emmett." I knew I could approach the subject of Rosalie without any ensuing awkwardness; since Bella's change, she had been much more confident in herself, and didn't seem to feel threatened at all by Emmett's past with Rosalie. "She was the first of my 'children' to find love, and to pursue a sexual relationship. And with a newborn of Emmett's strength!" I shuddered when I remembered the apprehension I had felt, imagining Rosalie's thin body in Emmett's terrifyingly strong hands. "I was convinced he would crush her skull or injure her somehow, though I knew that Rosalie's body was strong. I suppose the worst part for me, when it came time to accept the inevitability of their relationship becoming physical, was the fear that I would somehow hear them. I immediately built them a separate house while Emmett was going through his transition, so they were able to have a place to escape to. When the time comes for Renesmee and Nahuel, I suppose we'll have to build them a house. Perhaps we can give them one of the guest houses, and I can build this one," I gestured vaguely towards the drawing before me. "I wish there were some magic words that I could say that would remove all of this awkwardness and fear that you feel, but there aren't. The best I can do is tell you that I am always here to listen to you, and offer you this bit of consolatory knowledge: Renesmee and I have discussed this at length, and she does not feel that she is ready for sex." Bella sagged in her chair out of relief, and I patted her hand. "However, one day she will be. It _is_ difficult to think about, especially since she has reached full maturity so quickly. I know you feel as if you have been robbed of time when it comes to her, but she is grown now. When the time comes, you will have to accept it as best you can. Also, there is a chance that they will decide to strike out on their own for a time. I want you to prepare yourself for that possibility, Bella." She nodded, but looked bereft.

"I know they probably will want to go out on their own for a while. Renesmee is itching for independence as it is. It terrifies me because Alice can't see her, but I know that I can't keep her under my wing forever. I finally understand how Charlie must have felt; to feel that you only have your daughter for far too short a time before she goes of to live her own life." She swallowed hard, looking down at the table, and I wished for Jasper's presence for a moment. She looked up at me, pain evident in every one of her features. "If and when she decides to leave, I would love for all of us to live together again."

**Bella POV**

As Alice and Huilen tried to get Renesmee to wear the clothes they'd picked out for her, I mulled over my conversation with Esme. She'd told me that she would like for me to prepare myself for the possibility of Renesmee's leaving, but I had been steeling myself against that inevitability for months.

I knew my daughter, and I knew that she was anxious to see the world. Though we had taken her to the finest museums and shown her all that we could under the cover of night, she had been able to walk on sunlit beaches with Nahuel. There was so much that he could offer her that we couldn't, and I knew in my still heart that he loved her desperately. That knowledge soothed me a bit; I knew he would die himself before he ever allowed her to come to harm. It unnerved me to think that he had been waiting in the wings since the day of her birth; I was afraid that we had subconsciously groomed her to love him, but Alice was right when she pointed out that he may very well have been the only male of her species. Somehow, they were destined to find one another. The fact that they already knew each other more thoroughly than some couples ever do was a side effect of her growing up in such close proximity to him, and I found myself thinking about Quil and his imprint, Claire. I wondered how her mother felt, if she found herself ever wondering about the impact that growing up with her intended already in her life would affect her.

"Damn it, Alice! I'm not wearing that! What I have on is perfectly _fine!_" Renesmee was stomping down the stairs, in a pair of old jeans and a pearl-snap flannel shirt.

"Young lady, I'm through telling you to watch your mouth, and you're just like your mother! Why can't either of you just wear something _nice_ for once? All you ever want to wear are ratty old clothes and Chuck Taylors! You can't wear Chucks with everything, Renesmee!" Alice was storming down the stairs, right behind her, clutching a piece of something floaty and pink in one hand and something floaty and green in the other.

"Yes, I _can!_ I can wear these shoes wherever I damn well please, and you can't tell me to watch my mouth when you're the reason I'm swearing to begin with!" The frustration on her face was familiar, and I felt as if I were looking in a mirror. Knowing all too well what Alice could drive a person to with her clothing fetish, I decided not to scold her for her language. Esme must have had the same thought, because she was suddenly standing next to me, chuckling and shaking her head.

"Alice, stop tormenting my daughter," I laughed. Renesmee stuck her tongue out and scampered into the kitchen, returning with an apple and a glass of milk. As she'd grown older, her aversion to human food had all but dissipated, until there were very few things she wouldn't eat. I suspected it was all a bid to look as normal as possible, but I didn't question it. Though she still hunted from time to time with Nahuel, I had my suspicions that they only hunted as a way to be together out from under the constant scrutiny of the family.

"Oh, she's definitely _your_ daughter! You can't _beat_ that child into a dress! I swear, you two will be the death of me one day, with your jeans and your t-shirts. Renesmee," she said, pleadingly, "it's your first date ever. This is a major milestone for a girl. _Please_, let me dress you. Just this once." A devious glint appeared in Alice's eyes, and she went for the kill. "Don't you want to look nice for Nahuel? You know, dress up? I'm sure he would have been dumbfounded to see you in a skirt…" She trailed off mournfully, but the damage had already been done. I could sense the resignation emanating for my daughter, even without Jasper's skills.

"Okay. Fine. Whatever. But I'm not wearing either one of those," she said, pointing scornfully. "It's dinner and a movie, not a black tie party. I don't need a French designer for a movie theater in Small Town, Montana."

Alice's laughter swelled to fill the room, and I could hear Emmett's deep, booming one coming from the garage, where he and Jasper were building two souped up go karts to do God only knows what with. Jasper poked his head in the door, and gave Alice a stern look that didn't fool anybody. "Alice, you leave that girl alone. You've tortured her enough for one day. She doesn't need a damn dress to be beautiful."

Alice rolled her eyes, and snorted. "Go back to your go karts, Jasper. I could fill a book with what you don't know about women's fashion."

"Alice, you're my wife. I could tell you where the hemlines were for every season the last half a century," he retorted. "But she's right, Renesmee. Wear the blue one."

Emmett's laughter drowned out everyone else's as Jasper eyed his wife with mingled mischief and desire.

****

For forty-five minutes, I listened to the muffled scuffling and hissing going on in Huilen's studio as they tried to get Renesmee into something they considered suitable. The occasional "Absolutely not, Alice," or "What are you thinking?" wafted down to my ultra-sensitive ears, but I tried to focus on the book in my hands and not the thought that my daughter was getting ready to go out on her first date. At the age of seven.

When she came down the stairs, I wanted desperately to be able to cry properly. Alice had apparently been able to convince her to take Jasper's advice, because she was dressed in a light blue strapless dress with a pink sash that somehow looked very edgy, despite it's pastel colors. The center of the bust had a large pink flower pinned to it, and Renesmee's curls were pinned up, artfully disheveled. She wore the slightly dazed expression that I recognized as the aftermath of being browbeaten into submission by Alice, and her makeup was flawlessly applied. I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me, and saw Renesmee's face light up with a smile that overtook her countenance before I turned to see Nahuel.

He was entranced, following her every movement with eyes that screamed his adoration. His mouth slightly agape, I heard his breathing quicken along with his heart, and I felt my grip on my daughter being loosened.


	4. Chapter 4

**Renesmee POV**

The movie was terrible. I mean, _terrible._ The theater was almost empty though, which was nice. We kissed a little, but mostly we just held hands and whispered about the bad plot and even worse acting on the screen in front of us. Very chaste; my mother would have approved.

Dinner was interesting; we both tried things we'd never had before, which wasn't easy because Alice still loved to cook for us. The server was a little over the top when he flirted with me, and I could see Nahuel getting angry. I giggled a lot more than usual, because I thought it was really cute that he was getting jealous.

On the ride home, I watched the way that he handled my new car, lovingly almost. He didn't drive stupid fast like the rest of my family; he kept to a respectable speed and held my hand for most of the trip. He would lean in shyly at each stoplight to kiss me, and I was thrilled every time. He paid close attention to the drivers around us, being more cautious than I'd ever known him to be before. I realized it was the first time I'd ever been in the car with him as he drove, and I wondered if he was always such a careful driver. Something about it was endearing, and I wanted to gather him up in my arms and never let go.

We got back to the house thirty minutes before my curfew, so we wandered around the back acreage in the trees, not hunting, just walking. I took my shoes off because the low heels kept sinking in the ground, and he motioned for me to hand them to him. I did, and he carried them in his left hand while he held mine in his right. As the moon watched us, he turned to me and pulled me close, kissing me in a way that he never had before. It felt like the kiss went on forever, and like it meant something big.

"Renesmee," he gasped when our lips parted, "I love you."

I felt a joy that I had never known before as I pulled him back to me, pressing my lips against his insistently. "I love you, too. I've always loved you. From the moment I drew my first breath, I have loved you."

**Nahuel POV**

Driving Renesmee to and from town for our date was nerve-wracking. I was exceedingly careful, afraid for her safety. My confidence in my own driving was unimpeachable, but I couldn't be so sanguine about other drivers on the road. Wary of them, I kept my heightened senses on alert for anything that might go wrong. If I was so nervous driving her, I couldn't imagine how I would be when I had to allow her to drive.

_Don't be like Edward,_ I told myself. Bella and I had been talking more lately than we ever had before, and she had given me some insight into her failed marriage.

"_I'm telling you these things because I married my first love, and you are all that Renesmee has ever known. I'm preparing myself for the eventuality that you may well marry my daughter, and I don't want the two of you repeating my mistakes," she'd said. "Edward was everything that a woman could ask for… he was chivalrous and kind, intelligent and caring. He was undoubtedly in love with me, and would have protected me from everything that came my way, had I allowed him to. That was where our problems began," she sighed. "I was never allowed to make my own decisions, or my own mistakes. Edward was always there, with his century of experience and his insistence that I do things his way. As a result, I became so dependent on him that I lost myself. For months, I blindly followed Edward, doing as he asked. I loved him so much and was so terrified to lose him, that my little rebellions were few and far between. In my fear, I set a precedent that shaped our marriage and ultimately stood as a towering monument to the things I had let pass me by. In order to save my daughter, I had to find the strength inside of myself to send my husband away. In one fell swoop, I had lost the very thing that I had decided to forfeit my humanity for. I'm grateful for every decision that I've made, but I wish sometimes that I would have held on to my strength from the beginning. Once lost, it is a hard thing to regain." She'd settled against the back of the chair then, slumping into its overstuffed softness, rubbing her eyes with an open hand draped across them. "What I'm trying to say is, I know that you have strong protective instincts when it comes to Renesmee, perhaps because you have been in her life since she was an infant and truly needed protection. For your own sake, try to be more of an Emmett than an Edward. Don't push her too hard to make the decisions you think are best for her. I'm just learning myself that I have to let her go, let her make mistakes that she can learn from and memories that she can treasure. Please, try to do the same. If you want to keep her, you can't hold to her too tightly. She's far too much like me for her own good, and her stubbornness will be the death of you both if you spark it."_

The turning of a traffic light from green to yellow pulled me from my reverie, and I looked over at Renesmee. She looked ethereal in the dress that Alice and my aunt had probably threatened and cajoled her into, all floating fabric that cut off just above the knee. She wore a white cardigan sweater over the strapless dress, and something about the whole outfit reminded me of Easter, or of springtime in general. Her bronze curls were all swept up into something that looked carefree and easy, but probably took hours to perfect, and her full lips were painted the most appealing, blushing shade I could imagine. It matched her face perfectly, not looking like the makeup I saw on other women that was obviously unnatural. As I coasted to a stop, I leaned towards her, breathing in the scent of her and hoping that she would lean in as well. When she did, I planted the lightest, most innocent kiss on her lips that I could, and pulled away as the light turned green again. We had kissed before, but there was something about the chaste sweetness of that first kiss at a stoplight that stilled my heart for a moment and caused it to soar.

_I love her,_ I thought. _I have to tell her. Tonight. She has to know how I feel before she makes her mind up to leave_. I knew that it was only a matter of time before she took off, leaving the family incapable of watching out for her. I wasn't sure if the love I felt was romantic, or simply a claim borne of caring for her all of her life, but I knew that she loved me, too. _If she leaves, I may never be able to find her again; Alice can't see her. She could be hurt, and I would never know she needed me._ I resigned myself to the idea that the only way I could be assured of her safety was to entice her to take me with her when she decided to go.

When we returned to the Cullen home (I could never truly consider it my home, too. Huilen and I had spent too many years roaming about for me to ever feel at home anywhere) it was half an hour before Renesmee was due to check in with her mother, so we chose to meander the extensive property, hand in hand. She bent to take off her shoes, exposing her beautiful little feet to the sharp stones and rough sticks on the barely-discernable hunting trails carved by our family's frequent hunting trips. I stifled the urge to discourage her, instead motioning for me to let her carry them. _This is the moment, _my mind screamed. _It's now or never._ I stopped her, pulling her into my arms and looking into the depths of her warm brown eyes. As I touched her lips to my own, I felt a flare of affection run through my veins unlike anything I had ever felt in almost two centuries of life. I felt… whole.

"Renesmee," I whispered as I pulled away from her to speak, "I love you."

Her unfathomable eyes filled with unshed tears, but she looked at me with absolute certainty when she spoke. "I love you too," she said earnestly. "I've always loved you. From the moment I drew my first breath, I have loved you."

Behind me, I heard a throat clear.

**Emmett POV**

I've seen a lot in the last half-dozen or so decades. I've seen the look in a man's eyes when he truly wants a woman, and I've seen the love in a woman's eyes when she wants a man. Hell, I've Bella's eyes fill with that intensity hundreds of times. So I recognized the look of a man in the throes of lust that may or may not be fueled by love in Nahuel's face when he was gazing down at my daughter.

Okay, my stepdaughter. But I have loved that child and defended her since before she made her grand entrance to the world, and I couldn't love her more if she _was_ my own flesh. When he bent down to kiss her, I almost tackled him, but I remembered what I had been trying to tell Bella about letting Renesmee get a bit of independence. Hell, she was a seventeen year old girl physically, even if she only had seven years of experience behind her. I waited until they were finished declaring themselves to clear my throat and get their attention, but it was hard.

Nahuel looked terrified, which was a credit to his brainpower. Renesmee just looked pissed. She turned on me like a wildcat, and I immediately wanted to take a step back. I had seen that look on her mother's face more than a few times over the years, and it never boded well for the person it was pointed at. Instead of throwing up my hands and apologizing, which was my first instinct, I crossed my arms and leaned back on my heels a bit. "What the hell is this? I go out to hunt, and I come across you two making out in the woods? Christ, Renesmee! Your mother would dance in my ashes if she knew I saw you two and didn't try to talk to you. What the hell are you doing out here? You were supposed to be home…" I looked down at my watch, and cursed under my breath. "Okay, you aren't supposed to be in the house for another six minutes, but that doesn't mean that it's cool to be out here doing God knows what with Nahuel. God, she's going to kill me." I rounded on Nahuel, realizing that my speech was having no effect on Renesmee, but he still looked scared stiff. Smart boy. "And you! What the hell is wrong with you? You've known her since the day she was born! I'm trying to keep an open mind here because Bella says I have to, but that's a little creepy, dude. Like, predatory or something. She's only _seven._ I know she looks like a grown-ass woman, but you know good and goddamned well that she's not." I heard an outraged kind of gasp, and I just closed my eyes. I knew that sound, and I knew it meant I was about to get my ass handed to me by one of the women in my life.

"Emmett! Don't you _dare_ speak to him that way! You're not exactly the person to be preaching dating ethics, here. You married your own brother's wife! I know you're just looking out for me, so I'm willing to let some stuff slide, but you've got to get it through your head that I am perfectly capable of surviving on my own now. I could leave here tomorrow and none of you would ever be able to find me if I didn't want you to. I bet Mom would be real pleased with you if she found out that I ran away because of the way you talked to him. He _loves_ me, Emmett! You of all people should understand that sometimes, you don't love the most convenient or the most acceptable people. Yes, he watched me grow up. Technically, you're like… seventy-two years older than Mom. That's a little creepy too, if you think about it. Dad is damn near a hundred years older than she is, too. So what if he's got a century or so on me? We're not really the sort of family that sticks to human social mores, are we? So back off, or so help me, I will leave here with him tonight and I will not be coming back until you've all gotten it through your heads that I'm capable of making my own decisions."

The yelling was okay. I could deal with the yelling. It was all the logic in her argument, and the calm about her when she talked about running away. The kid was right, we'd _never_ be able to find her if she really put her mind to hiding. She and Nahuel were blind spots for Alice. Sure, we might be able to track them down eventually, but it would be a major pain in the ass, and still it wasn't guaranteed that we'd ever find them. I hung my head a little, and took a deep breath. My throat got all thick, and I realized that I was ready to do the vamp version of crying when I thought about her taking off. I didn't like the tremble in my voice when I answered her, but I kept talking.

"Reenie," I said, hoping that my private nickname for her would soften her up somehow, "I'm sorry. You're right, you can make your own choices. I'm just trying to look out for you, babe. I worry, you know? I'm not good at the parenting stuff, you know that." She yelled out this little sob sort of thing, and took off running at me.

"You _are_ good at the parenting stuff, Em. That's why I got so mad, you were just too good with the parental authority thing. I know you're just worried, and I'm not going to take off on you. I shouldn't have threatened you that way, but I just couldn't help it when you started in on him. He loves me, and that makes me happier than anything in the world. Some people look their whole lives for love, and it's been sitting in front of me all of my life, just waiting for me to accept it. I love him too, you know. We're like, _meant_ for each other. We're the only two members of our species that aren't related. Where would we ever find another mate? Humans that we would have to turn into vampires that would always be physically superior? We're perfectly matched, Nahuel and I. Neither of us have to make a special effort to let the other keep up, like the rest of you do with us. We don't have to _struggle_ to keep up with one another. There's not a 'strong one' in this relationship. We both just… _are._" When she put it that way, it was hard to argue with. I remembered how much it used to fuck with Bella, always being the weak link when she was human, and it got to me that Renesmee felt that way too.

**Nahuel POV**

When Renesmee told Emmett all of the reasons that we were perfectly matched for one another, it was like she turned on a light in my mind, shedding illumination over all of the things that I had always felt and never said. Since I was old enough to hold my own body upright, I had felt inferior to Huilen. She was stronger, faster, and altogether more physically able than I would ever be. Renesmee, however, was just like me.

She was right, we were meant for one another. The swell of pride in her and love for her inside of me was almost strong enough to knock me off of my feet. Suddenly, all of my fears and uncertainty fell away, and everything in my mind fell into place. My love was not borne of a need to protect her, it was borne of a deep respect for the strength in her that had nothing to do with physical prowess. She was stronger than me, though she didn't realize it; it was a strength of will and a strength of spirit that I would never possess.

In that moment, there was no room left for doubt. I knew that I must be with her, or I would perish for need of her. I took her small hand in mine, and we faced the strongest vampire I had ever known head on. With no fear in my heart and no room in my body for question, I gave myself fully over to her. No longer did I want her to take me with her when she left so that I could be assured of her safety; now I wanted to go with her simply because I had to. To be without her would be a misery that I was sure I could not bear.

I looked at her, and felt the completeness of my wonder falling on me. She was so beautiful, so altogether perfect and too high above for me to reach, yet she was willing to dirty her hands and waste her perfection on someone like me. Simply because she was assured of my affections; more sure of my love than even I had been, merely moments before. She was utterly and wholly mine, just as I was hers. I felt humbled and broken, unsure of what to say. There were no words to tell her that could do the feeling or the need justice, so I just squeezed her tiny hand in mine and felt myself unfolding. _Perhaps, _ I thought, _in the end, this is all I will accomplish. Maybe all I will be known for is my ability to love this one woman so deeply and without cessation. Maybe the only redeeming quality I will have is her, and the way that I have loved her. And that is enough for me._

**Emmett POV**

It was the weirdest thing I had ever seen. All of a sudden, in the middle of Renesmee's speech, Nahuel puffed up like a turkey and looked like he could just burst with pride. I didn't know if he was proud of himself or proud of her, but I would have bet my nuts that it was the latter. He looked at her like she was some kind of angel that had fallen in a heap at his feet and claimed him for her own, and there was no questioning it for me. He loved her, and she seemed like she loved him. We were all just going to have to deal with it the best way we could, and hope for a good outcome.

I still wasn't convinced that the whole thing wouldn't end badly, but somehow it wasn't Renesmee I was worried about anymore. I was mostly worried about that hundred and sixty year old boy standing in front of me, looking like he had a hand full of stars or something. _She really could break him,_ I thought. Because there _was_ no other for Nahuel. He had been around the world and seen almost everything it had to offer, and he had never found a mate. Just like Edward had been before he met Bella. But he also had a protective streak a mile wide, and Renesmee was enough like her mother to resent the fuck out of the implication that she couldn't take care of herself. The parallels were starting to creep me out, and I just couldn't help worrying about the kid. I mean, before this whole dating-my-stepdaughter thing started, I had genuinely liked Nahuel. He was a good guy, and we got along. Sure, he was kind of quiet, but it wasn't that moody sort of sullen quiet that Edward had. At least, not until we'd started trying to keep the two of them apart. He'd fallen right into an epic, Edward-worthy funk when all that shit came up. But before that, he was a good dude. Solid, you know?

Anyway, I started thinking that the person who was going to get hurt here was him. I mean, Renesmee could very easily change her mind when she saw more of the world.


	5. Chapter 5

**Bella POV**

My daughter was so headstrong, so much like me, that sometimes I couldn't decide whether to feel proud of her or irritated. She stuck firmly by the decisions that she made, be they good or bad, and it was such a trait of my own personality that I couldn't dispute her tendencies.

She had decided, regardless of anyone else's opinion, that she was going to be with Nahuel. Often, she mentioned offhandedly all of the things that they would see when they went off into the world, and I could only hope that they would at least allow Emmett and I to go with them in the beginning. Of course, I knew that mentioning that plan would be enough to send her into a full-scale temper tantrum, so I kept my hopes to myself and prayed that she would approach me.

The fear that she would somehow attract the attention of the Volturi terrified me. I knew that Aro would want to claim her as part of his "collection," and I couldn't bear the thought of my daughter being a part of their cruel, imperious coven. We had managed to escape their attention after my trip to Italy as a newborn, and I knew that it was unrealistic to expect to go without notice for much longer. My mind was at war with itself. Part of me wanted Renesmee to be far away when they decided to drop in, and the other wanted to make sure that she stayed with us forever. The strain of my worries was apparent, and affecting the mood of my little house on the back acreage of the property. Emmett was much quieter than usual, trying to cheer me up and also give me space to brood. I knew I was being unfair to him, but I couldn't help being consumed by my thoughts.

When she came to me and told me that she and Nahuel were ready to leave, the misery inside of me threatened to overtake me. I wanted to scream at the unfairness of the situation, and I couldn't shake the thought that I had been cheated. Other women got eighteen years with their children; I hadn't even been allotted half of that to get to know my daughter. My anger turned more towards Nahuel, though I tried to keep it to myself. I knew that any overt displays of that enmity would only serve to alienate Renesmee, thus robbing me of what little time I had left with her.

As we made plans and arrangements, I was relieved to find that they had chosen to take Huilen with them. I was grateful that they would have some sort of supervision, and I also wanted to be able to let out some of my rage towards Nahuel. In her absence, I wouldn't have to censor the ire that was likely to be pointed in his direction.

Esme began plotting out the new house in earnest. I suspected that Carlisle went along with her plans simply because he knew it was her method for distracting herself and the rest of the family from the coming departure. She planned to leave my little guest house standing for Renesmee and Nahuel, should they ever choose to return to the family after their time of independence, and I had to admit that I was grateful for that concession. Renesmee was overjoyed at the idea of having her own house, which offered me some relief; she must have been planning to return if she was so enthusiastic about the house.

The day that they left was a bittersweet one; there was a small part of me that was proud of her independence, of her ability to go out on her own. I realized as I watched her drive away that she was doing something I had never had the strength for; the moment I was separated from my human family I had cleaved to the Cullens, immersing myself in their world and never seeking to leave. Emmett and I had never even discussed leaving. It was an unspoken promise to Esme that she would never lose any more of her children, paired with the fact that I felt no desire to ever leave them.

As Renesmee's little Jetta pulled out of the long driveway with Nahuel behind the wheel and the trunk full of suitcases, I could not retain my composure. My knees weakened and I slumped to the floor of the porch as soon as they were out of sight, overwhelmed by the realization that my daughter was truly gone. Carlisle had awarded the three of them with an enormous trust fund and three black Amex cards, so I had no worries for them financially, but I couldn't shake the conviction that somehow, everything in the world was about to change for us.

****

Months passed. Renesmee would call a couple of times a week, filling my ear with tales of their adventures. I was apprehensive about the fact that they were in Europe, but I had been sure to tell her of the Volturi before her departure, and all I could do was trust her to steer clear of Italy altogether.

I should have known that would not be enough.

When more than a week passed without word from Renesmee, I became frantic with worry. The family tried to soothe me by saying that a bit of independence was sure to go to her head at some point, and that she had defied all of their expectations by calling so often to begin with. I began to find a bit of ease in their words, until the day that a letter arrived from Italy.

_My Dearest Bella,_

_I must say, I was overwhelmed when I first met your enchanting daughter and her charming mate. Demetri was on a quite unrelated quest when he stumbled across them in France, and he spirited them here to the tower to meet me, sure that I would be filled with enthusiasm to meet them. Of course, he was correct in his assumption; to think that such a wonder could exist in our world! Truly, there are few surprises left to be discovered when you have been on the Earth as long as I. _

_I have seen in the thoughts of your family members that you were frightened for them to meet me. I must say, your fears are quite flattering, but still unfounded. Darling Renesmee, her mate and his aunt are free to leave Volterra any time they feel so inclined, but Nahuel has shown quite a fascination at the lifestyle we lead here. I dare say that they would have left long ago, but for his desire to linger among us. They are quite welcome for ever how long they choose to stay, but I do so wish that you and the rest of your family would come to join them. It has been far too long since I was graced with the presence of the incomparable Dr. Carlisle Cullen._

_Fondly, _

_Aro_

_p.s. I must tell you, Sulpicia is quite enthralled with your daughter. She is now entranced with the idea of a surrogate mother; perhaps, if we find the right candidate, I shall come to you as a father of my own young someday._

I screamed in agony as I crumpled the heavy, expensive paper with its ornate lettering. "Emmett! Carlisle!" I wailed, once again feeling myself sink to the floor in despair. _I shall come to you as a father of my own young someday._ The idea was horrifying, and I could not bring myself to trust Aro's assertions that Renesmee was free to leave Volterra any time that she chose.

**Renesmee POV**

Italy was beautiful, I couldn't deny it. Aro sort of creeped me out, with his fawning and saccharine-sweet speeches, and Marcus was horrifying in his absolute apathy, but I couldn't understand my mother's paralyzing fear of the Volturi. Sure, they were a little odd looking, with their powdery, ancient skin and their strange ways were sometimes a bit off-putting, but I didn't feel like I was in any danger. I was completely repulsed by their dietary habits, and was overcome with revulsion when Nahuel reminded me that he and Huilen had fed off of humans before they came to be a part of our family, she exclusively and he only occasionally taking solid food. I could see the hunger in their eyes as Heidi herded the unsuspecting humans into the tower, and I began to feel a bit of my unquestioning adoration of Nahuel slip. Though he tried to act otherwise, I could tell that he wasn't bothered by the habits of the Volturi. In fact, he was fascinated by them. He spent most of his waking hours shadowing Aro, asking and answering questions. Truly, the two of them were like long-lost best friends; it turned my stomach.

When Huilen entered our chambers with the faintest ring of red around the outside of her irises, I was hard pressed to keep my composure. I didn't say anything, because the shame in her eyes told me all that I needed to know; she'd had a momentary lapse of judgment, and I could not make her feel that guilt any more acutely than she already did. Though I wanted to leave Volterra and go back to the United States, I knew that Nahuel had not found what he was looking for there, and that he wanted to stay.

Sulpicia was another matter altogether. Though she was just as odd-looking as her husband, there was something sweet and gentle in her that I could not discount. I knew that there was a bloodthirsty killer in her too, but she seemed to view humans as I did animals; evolutionarily lower than herself, and thus acceptable sustenance. Though I heartily disagreed with her, I could not change her reasoning, and I couldn't help but feel an affection for her.

"Oh, how I have longed for a child of my own," she whispered one day, when she was visiting me. "Meeting you and learning of your existence has given me a sort of hope that I haven't felt in centuries. A human child would simply be too tempting for the guard, unaccustomed to controlling their thirst as they are. I have sought for a way to become a mother for centuries, and now that I know humans can be used for breeding, I have found it. I wonder if Aro would be disinclined to provide me with young?" I stared at her, trying to find it in myself to be disgusted with her, but instead finding only pity for her obvious desperation and longing. She was willing to condone infidelity in her beloved mate, simply to have a child. I wanted to fault her, but I found it too difficult. Her hand drifted up hesitantly, and I realized that she wanted to touch my hair, so I leaned into her. She gathered me gently to her chest, and crooned to me in her strange, heavily accented voice. "Oh, how like your father you are. He is a marvel too, you know. Aro greatly desired him, as well as your aunt, Alice. Alas, they have time and time again declined his invitations. I understand that our way of life is distasteful to you, dear one. I'm sorry that your mate has chosen to stay among us and caused you discomfort, but you must know that you are safe here. I will _never_ allow any harm to come to either of you," she said, earnestly. I couldn't help but trust her, and I relaxed against her thin, hard body.

"Tell me, beloved. Do you know how long young Bella was pregnant? I know that your rate of maturation was rapid. Was your rate of gestation equally brief?" Not trusting myself to speak, I reached up to put my hand to her face. Accustomed to my preferred method of communication, she didn't flinch away. _Two weeks to a day of development,_ I remembered my mother saying and sent to Sulpicia. _I was pregnant with you for twenty days._ She sighed, and pulled me closer to her. "Thank you, Renesmee. You truly are a gift to me," she breathed.

**Nahuel POV**

The thirst was almost overwhelming.

I flinched, listening to the screams of the human tourists in the tower, but my throat still burned with a need I could not satisfy, knowing that Renesmee would never forgive me. I knew that she desired to leave Italy, and every night as I stretched my body out in the bed next to her, I resolved that we would leave the next morning. But Aro would come to me with a particularly fascinating anecdote or tale, and I would be enthralled with him all over again.

His regal bearing made me envious. The Cullens had a bottomless well of riches, it had seemed to me when we first joined them, but they were not _monarchs_ like the Volturi. I could feel the pull of that sort of power, and knew that they would welcome me with open arms among their ranks, simply because I was an oddity and a curiosity. Aro would never tire of me, as the jewel of his collection. Every day, the pull to Aro and his way of life rivaled my love for Renesmee a bit more, until I was unsure of who I would choose, if I were presented with the necessity to make such a choice. By the end of the week, I was desperate to stay in Volterra, to live like Aro and to feed on whomever I liked.

I heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and recognized the cadence of Aro's stride. I looked up from the book before me that I was studying, and smiled. "Ah, dear Nahuel. How your admiration affects me! I do so wish that your young mate weren't so averse to our way of life, here. I would love to keep the two of you with me forever. Sulpicia is quite taken with Renesmee, as you know. I fear I shall have to impregnate a human," he said, his mouth twisting with distaste, "should she ever choose to leave."

I closed the book, and sat back in my chair. "I do not wish to leave, Aro. I struggle to find a way to maintain Renesmee's happiness here, and a way to retain my own, when she chooses to leave. This is not the life that she desires," I said, resigned.

"I hesitate to broach a subject so personal, but you are aware that my senses are heightened, beyond even that of other vampires. When I touch you, when I have touched young Renesmee, I have been searching for a particular occurrence that I can not find. Chelsea, also, can not see any sexual bonds between the two of you. Truly, you have not been consummated as mates. Therefore, you have no ties to one another that can not be broken. The human aspect of your natures leaves you more open to the possibility of change that our own; I have seen our human Gianna eying you with favor. Though we had not originally planned to keep her, should you feel a connection with her that would make you loathe to leave her, I would change her without a moment's hesitation."

I mulled over what he was saying, and found myself considering his offer. The frustration I felt towards Renesmee for her reluctance to be sexually connected to me reared it's head once again, and I thought of Gianna. She was a beautiful woman, even for a human. As a vampire, she would be absolutely ravishing. I had noticed her lingering looks, but I'd tried to put them out of my mind.

"I only approach you with this solution because the Cullens are in Italy. Apparently my missive promising your safety and your freedom was not enough to soothe their worries away.


	6. Chapter 6

**Renesmee POV**

I was still curled in Sulpicia's arms, longing for those of my mother, when a light tap at the door roused me from my slumber.

"Madame," Jane's sweet, girlish voice rang out, "the Cullens approach. Demetri has confirmed that they are in Italy, and we expect their arrival within minutes." She looked at me with puzzlement, clearly wondering why Sulpicia was so taken with me. Jane seemed to find me very disinteresting, perhaps even distasteful.

"Oh, the Cullens! How wonderful, I simply can not _wait_ to meet dear Bella, I have so many questions for her!" Jane nodded, and turned to walk out the door. Almost as an afterthought, she turned to me.

"Though I am known for causing pain, I do not say this to hurt you. I must admit that I am baffled by the interest that Aro has shown in you, but I mean that as no affront to you. I understand that Sulpicia's longing for a child colors her perceptions, and I honestly do not wish to bring harm to anything that Madame loves. With that in mind, I hope you understand that though what I have to say is painful, I say it only to save you more agony in the end." Sulpicia's eyes narrowed, and I felt my heart begin to race. Were they really going to force us to stay here, or threaten us somehow? As my eyes widened, Jane rushed to finish her thought. "This is about your mate, Nahuel." I felt relief then, but I didn't stop to figure out why I would be relieved that she had painful news about him. "I do not believe that he is going to choose to leave when the rest of you do. I have spoken to Chelsea, and his bond with Aro is quite solid. I think, when your family leaves, you will choose to leave with them, but you will be leaving him behind." My heart sank at her words, but I nodded.

"I know," I whispered. "It's not that I don't want to stay with you, Sulpicia. I promise, I will be back to visit you whenever I can. But I don't want this sort of life for myself. I hate to think about the pain that it will cause me to leave Nahuel behind, but I'm afraid he's going to have to make a choice. Thank you, Jane. It's actually easier to make this decision now that I know what the outcome will probably be." She bowed slightly in my direction, her red eyes filled with pity and something like respect.

"You are stronger than I have given you credit for. Thank you, for bringing Madame some joy. I can only hope that she and Aro are blessed with their own young someday, though she will not be the one to bear the child." I nodded again, and felt joy warring with sorrow inside of me. Because of my appearance in Volterra, a human woman would die to give Sulpicia a child, but Sulpicia would find overwhelming satisfaction in her devotion to the child that anonymous woman would provide. Nahuel and I would separate, but I would not be forced to forever live in the shadows of Volterra.

Sulpicia smiled at me, and wiped the tears from my face. "I do not need Aro's gift to know that you mourn for the woman who will provide me with young. I know that you feel a lingering tenderness for humans, being half human yourself. Be assured, dear one, that I will cherish the child and honor the woman's memory every day. Instead of only providing temporary sustenance, there will be one human in Volterra whose death will be mourned. I will do her that honor, Renesmee. Do not feel guilt; you have no hand in that death." I felt the tears in my eyes threatening to overflow, but I could not let them be shed, lest she think that her assertions weren't enough to soothe me.

"I know, Sulpicia. Thank you for making this time more bearable for me." As soon as I finished speaking, I heard Carlisle's strong, sure voice ring out a greeting to Aro, Caius and Marcus. The relief I felt was overwhelming, and for once I was not resentful when a vampire carried me in order to make up for my relative slowness.

We tore through the corridors, and Sulpicia sat me gently on my feet in front of my mother. I could tell from the strain in her eyes that she was using all of her energy to maintain the shield that would protect everyone's thoughts from Aro, but she cried out and gathered me into her arms. The unshed tears streamed down my cheeks as I fell into my mother's arms, and for the first time since we had arrived in Volterra, I felt peace.

**Bella POV**

Sulpicia set my daughter down in front of me with a sort of reverence, and I realized that Aro had not been exaggerating when he spoke of her devotion to Renesmee. I gave her a long look of gratitude, and cried out with joy when I saw Renesmee, whole and uninjured, before me. I pulled her almost roughly into my arms, kissing the top of her head and feeling her warm tears spill down onto my shirt. I envied her the ease of crying as the venom in my body burned my eyes and throat. Emmett's arm tightened around me, and he wrapped his free one around Renesmee as I once again thanked whatever higher powers there might be for him.

"Ah, how _lovely,_" Aro intoned. "It is such a joy to see all of you again!" He made no move to touch any of us, perhaps as a sign of trust. I noticed how close Nahuel stood to him, and realized that he had not been exaggerating that alliance, either. My eyes narrowed as I looked at him, and I barely suppressed a hiss at the red I saw when I looked in Huilen's eyes. Esme looked at her with pity, and Alice just turned her head in disgust. Jasper's control, though much improved over the years, still seemed to be wavering as he convulsively swallowed back venom time and again.

"Aro, it is good to see an old friend again. I see that you've made a new friend, as well," Carlisle said, his eyes filled with censure at Nahuel's defection.

"Now Carlisle, surely you don't begrudge me this addition to my own little family!" Aro laughed, gesturing towards Nahuel and Huilen.

"Of course not. Nahuel and Huilen are free to go wherever they choose, but I am displeased with their insistence to stay here when Renesmee was so visibly ready to leave. I would have had no issue with their choice to become a part of your coven, had they only informed me that it was necessary to come get her." The sorrow in his voice was enough to cover his anger, and Aro nodded his assent.

"Truly, it is a matter of some shame that they did not escort young Renesmee home before returning here, but I must take some of that blame upon my own shoulders. I could have sent one of the members of the guard to take her, but my dear Sulpicia is, as you can see, very fond of Renesmee. She has brought a bit of light to Volterra." His sincerity was apparent, and I found myself torn between a years-old grudge against Aro and a bit of respect. He truly did love his wife, and care for Renesmee's safety. "Yes, Bella," he said, looking me in the eye. "I see your conflicting emotions on your face, but I do care very deeply for those around me. I know that, as a result of our first encounter, you are fearful and distrustful of me, and though it pains me, I fear that I had to leave you with that impression. The law is a very serious thing, and order must be maintained. I have no quarrel with you, or with your family. I have made it no secret that I wished for some of you to join me, and that invitation is always open, but I have no inclination to kidnap anyone. You can not force loyalty, and that is as important a part of being one of us as any special skills or talents that one might have. Though, your talents would be quite an addition to my little family," he said, wistfully.

I nodded. "Thank you for the invitation, Aro. I choose to remain among the Cullens; their lifestyle is more accommodating to my personal beliefs, which differ greatly from yours." He smiled at me, the sincerity once again emanating from him. I shot a glance at Jasper, who looked grudgingly convinced.

Carlisle cleared his throat, and began speaking again. "Nahuel, Huilen, have you then made the choice to remain in Volterra?" His expression was carefully benign, though I could see the uncharacteristic anger underlying his calm.

"Yes," Huilen said, stepping forward. "Renesmee has shown no interest in becoming fully mated to Nahuel, and there is one here who has. Though he loves Renesmee very deeply, the promise of a full relationship is one that he has found hard to resist." It was easy to control the hiss that was tearing it's way out of my throat as I thought of what she was saying; Renesmee had not wanted a sexual relationship with Nahuel. I felt myself relax with relief when I realized that all of my fears about child-grooming and the inappropriateness of their relationship were unfounded.

"No interest!" I looked down at my daughter, who was shaking with rage. I released her from my grasp as she struggled against it, and watched in resigned horror as her temper fully unleashed itself. She stalked over to face Nahuel, almost nose to nose with him. "No interest? Because I wanted to wait until I was older than seven to have sex with him, I've shown no interest? Because I was put off by the bloodlust in his eyes, I have shown no interest? I waited for him all of my life, and now you say that I have no interest in _him_ because I have no interest in the life he has chosen to lead. I wanted him to stay with me, forever. Not hole up here in some tower so he could play King for a Day!"

Delight shone in Aro's eyes as he looked down at her quivering little body. "Oh, the spirit in this one! What a glorious addition she would have made… Ah, well. One can not always have what one wishes for. If we are all finished here, I will bid you a fond farewell. It seems that I have a human to turn for my newest protégé." With that, he turned and walked away, very easily dismissing us. Though I had believed him when he spoke of his intentions, I still felt a surge of relief.

As we made our way through the corridors, Renesmee sobbed. My anger at Nahuel was almost too much to bear, but I forced myself to keep walking forward as she sagged in my arms. We walked the dark streets back to the hotel that we had rooms at, and Renesmee fell asleep. I handed her carefully to Emmett to avoid any strange stares… A small woman carrying a girl roughly her own size was bound to attract attention. He took her from my arms, kissing her forehead as he did. When we reached the suite that was intended for us, he placed her gently on the bed, smoothing the covers around her, then carefully brushing the hair from her face.

"I wanted to kill him, Bella," he whispered. "I haven't been that angry at someone since Edward pulled his last stupid stunt."

"Watch your mouth, Emmett," I heard a silken voice behind me say. I turned to face my ex husband, shocked.

**Emmett POV**

"Oh hell, what the fuck are you doing here?" I said quietly, not wanting to wake Renesmee. I walked into the other room, Bella beside me and Edward on our heels.

"What am I doing here? My daughter was practically taken prisoner by the Volturi, and the only person with the slightest bit of decency to call and inform me was _Alice?_ Did the two of you not think that I would be interested to know that little tidbit of information?" I could hear him working up into a real whinefest, so I just kind of sighed and turned around to face him.

"Why would we call you, Edward? You call her your daughter, but you only see her for about an hour a year because you feel so guilty about wanting to kill her. No, honestly, Bella and I didn't think to call you. What good could you have possibly done? The whole thing is over now, anyway." I eyed him up and down, trying to let him know that the possibility of a good tear-down brawl wasn't out of the question. He must have gotten the hint, because he kind of sneered at me before he turned to Bella.

"She is my daughter, Bella. Through everything that we've shared, I would have thought that you would at least call to tell me that she was imperiled." That little remark pissed me off, but I knew that he was sort of right, so I didn't say anything. Yeah, she was his daughter. I had to realize that every time I looked at her, and thought about how weird it was to love someone so much that looked so much like someone I hated. The thing was, I _had_ thought to call him. I'd just decided against it because I didn't think his histrionics were necessary.

"Eddie, do you not remember the last time you went to the Volturi? You almost got everyone killed. Excuse us if we didn't think that involving you again was a good idea." His head bowed, and I knew I had hit my mark.

"You're right, Emmett. I have caused this family nearly unendurable pain over the years, but I would have liked to know that Renesmee was safe." With that, he turned and walked out of the room, and I felt Bella sag next to me. It wasn't like her to keep so quiet through a confrontation, but I knew that being around Edward was still hard for her.

"It's okay, babe. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere." That's why I didn't feel threatened when she got sad around Edward; it wasn't that she wanted him back, it was that the sight of him was enough to start all of her abandonment issues burning again. She'd gotten so much better since her change, but that didn't wipe it all away. A hurt that deep still staggered me… A hurt so deep that it still pained her. Even after her human memories of the time without him should have dimmed.

"I know," she whispered, pulling me closer to her. "I just can't help it, Em. When I see him, I remember how it felt to be weak and unsure of myself, and it makes me angry. I hate that I was so easily broken, but I know that if I lost you, that time would not compare to the agony I would feel in your absence." She fell into my embrace, kissing me like she was drowning and I was holding her up. "I love you so much, Emmett. So much that it scares me sometimes. I thought that I would never love that way again, and now I find that it was nothing compared to what was waiting for me in you." I swept her up in my arms, all Prince Charming style, and carried her out of the sitting room and into the master bedroom of the suite. Though we would not be sleeping, I knew we'd be in bed most of the night.

****

Renesmee was never really the same. She cried a lot more easily, and a lot more often. I wanted to kill that little fucker every day, but he was under the protection of the goddamned Volturi, so he was basically a no-fly zone. She moved back into the little cottage, even though Bella and I were living in the big house with the rest of the family. She kept her old room, and started using Bella's old study as place to write herself. I don't know how the writing went, because she never talked about it, but I figured she was doing like her mom; getting her feelings all out on paper to sort them out for herself.

Weeks passed, and I kept waiting for her to snap out of it, but she never did. She ate whatever Alice cooked, but she never commented on it. She slept too much, keeping her hair in a messy, ratty bun that, frankly, needed washing. Carlisle said she was depressed, and that sometimes it was the mind's way of dealing with a sudden trauma, so we tried to leave her alone. It was hard for Bella, who wanted to keep her close to her all the time. We had some arguments about it, which wasn't our style at all.

They mostly consisted of me telling Bella to back the fuck off of Renesmee, to let her grieve in private, like she obviously wanted to. When I reminded Bella that she had the exact same coping mechanism, she let it go. I guess that was all she needed to hear; she needed to be reminded that she acted that way both times that Edward left her.

"But I didn't react that way," Bella whispered one night, when we were tangled up in our bed. "I never cried, I never screamed. I turned into a zombie, sure. But I didn't cry at the drop of a hat or have a full-on meltdown every time someone breathed funny. This is not normal, Emmett." Her eyes were wide in the dark, and I could read every ounce of worry and doubt in them.

"Sure it is, babe. She's a _teenager._ You were never a normal teenager. She's supposed to flip out and go nuts all the time. That's why they write special books about dealing with them and devote whole talk shows to the ones that are 'out-of-control.' Teenagers are a fucking mess, doll. Just give her time, she'll come around." I hoped that my voice was more confident than I was. The truth was, I was starting to worry myself to death about the kid, too. Not to mention how much I missed her.

****

I was out hunting with Jasper when the call came.

I looked down at my phone, and saw it was Carlisle, so I answered.

"_Emmett, we have a slight problem."_ I couldn't think of what sort of problem we had now; Renesmee had been home and safe for six weeks, loving the privacy of her own little house after we had all moved into the big house that Esme built for us. Everyone was home, we hadn't heard anything from Nahuel and Huilen, though Sulpicia wrote Renesmee often.

"What's going on?" I steeled myself for whatever was coming, hoping to God that it wasn't something major. After everything that had gone on, I was just looking for some peace and quiet for a while.

"_Sam Uley just called me. Charlie Swan had a heart attack this morning."_

Fuck.

"Is he…?"

"_Yes, he's gone. Sue is inconsolable, and asking for Bella. She knows that Bella is still alive because of that little run in that she had with Jacob a few years ago."_

"Well, what do you want to do?" I asked him the question, even though I knew what was going to happen. We were going to Forks.


	7. Chapter 7

**Bella POV**

I sat stoically on the plane, my calm exterior covering the storm inside of me. There was grief at the death of my father, but also a raging curiosity; why would Sue want to see me? My thoughts ran in circles until the plane touched down, and we walked to the rental car.

Carlisle and Esme had gotten on a plane immediately after Emmett told them that he was sure I would want to go, to ready the long-closed house for us to stay in. I was anxious to go back to the place where all of my existence had changed, but I dreaded seeing Sue. I wasn't sure if she was going to be angry at me, or if some of Seth's residual friendship for us had rubbed off on her over the years.

When we pulled into the driveway, Jacob was sitting on the front porch with Sam and Seth. _So much for the treaty,_ I thought. Jake must have realized that's what I would be thinking, because he bounded off the porch to grab me in a tight hug.

"Hey, Bells. It sure is good to see you again, even if it is under such shitty circumstances." The sincerity in him was undeniable, and I felt a small bit of relief. "Carlisle said that the treaty could be damned, he wanted us to be here for you, if you wanted us." His uncertainty broke my heart, so I pulled him into another hug as Emmett shook Sam's hand, Alice danced into Seth's arms to hug him, and Jasper patted Jake tentatively on the shoulder as he was wrapped up with me. Perhaps it was the bad news that caused all of the camaraderie, or perhaps everyone had simply decided to let bygones be bygones. Only Jasper seemed to be hanging back, but I knew it was because he was tasting all of the emotions in the air. When he nodded at me, I knew that everyone was truly here to support me.

"Sam, Jake, Seth… Thank you so much for being here," I choked. I saw the redness and swelling in Seth's face, and the hardness in Jake's. _They loved him too, _ I thought.

"Of course," Seth said, taking me in his arms as soon as Sam let go of my hand. "I finally convinced these guys that you weren't all bad," he winked. I knew that the Herculean effort he was expending to appear his old happy-go-lucky self was draining, so I squeezed him a bit tighter.

"Where is everyone else?" I asked. Surely there were no more vampires in Forks, so there couldn't be more wolves.

"Leah is at the house with mom, her imprint is cooking a mountain of food. How perfect is it that she imprinted on a chef, right?" he chortled. "Embry is finishing up the arrangements at the funeral home with Billy, Quil is with Claire at the beach, Colin and Brady are up at U-Dub, working on master's degrees in something or other. There haven't been a lot of vampires in Forks for a long time; we've all mostly stopped phasing. It's mostly just Embry and Quil now; Quil doesn't want to stop aging until Claire catches up."

Just then, Renesmee pulled up in her little Jetta. She'd insisted on making the drive by herself, and because I was trying to give her some independence after the disaster that was her first attempt to gain some, I couldn't stop her. She leapt out of the car with all of her characteristic grace, and I saw Sam's eyes light up with curiosity. _Of course, he's curious. He must have heard through the pack mind that she exists, _ I thought to myself. Jacob looked at me with one eyebrow raised, and I nodded. "Renesmee, leave those bags for a second and come here. There are some people I'd like you to meet." She sprinted over to us, faster than a human but not as quickly as a vampire.

"Of course. Let me guess… Sam?" she said, pointing at him. When he nodded, she turned to Jacob. "Jacob?" Another nod, with a grin and a wink. "And you must be… _Seth._" she breathed, and as their eyes met, their blank expressions were mirrors of one another.

_Oh shit, _I thought, with uncharacteristic profanity. I would have recognized the look on his face anywhere. It was the way Sam looked at Emily.

Seth Clearwater had just imprinted on my daughter.

I tried to take deep breaths, to remind myself that it was involuntary, that I shouldn't kill him. Jake stepped between us, putting his hands on my shoulders and walking me backwards, away from Seth, who was looking at Renesmee like she was made of gold, and away from Renesmee, who just looked confused. Sam shook Seth's shoulder, trying to get his attention.

"Bella," Jacob said carefully, "I need you to calm down. We'll figure this out, but right now, we need to call Emily.

Emmett was looking back and forth between Seth and Renesmee, who was inching closer to Seth every second, and Jacob and I. "What the fuck is going on here?"

"Emmett," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. "We're going to wait to discuss this until Emily gets here." I looked at him meaningfully, and nodded. I saw the realization dawn on him, and the shock that came over his features.

"Do you mean…? Did he…? Oh, fuck." Emmett sat down on the porch steps, his head in his hands. Alice went to sit next to him, and Jasper followed her, looking at me with fear in his eyes. _He's afraid that I'm going to kill Seth when the shock wears off,_ I realized. As the thought flew through my mind, I checked myself for any anger, and could find none. Instead, there was only relief. Seth Clearwater, my favorite of the wolves aside from Jacob. Sweet, caring Seth who was not prejudiced against vampires or quick to find fault where there was none. _She could do much, much worse,_ I thought, as I looked at her. She was reaching out carefully to Seth, almost as if she could feel the tension in the air.

"Seth," she sighed. Then she ran to him, falling into his arms and sobbing. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she gasped. "I'm sorry," she said, pulling herself out of his arms. "I don't know what came over me," she laughed shakily as she brushed the tears from her eyes. "I just felt the strongest need all of a sudden to touch you."

Alice squealed, and ran to Renesmee, sweeping her up and spinning her in a circle. "Oh, Renesmee! You just wait until Emily gets here to explain all of this to you. It'll all make sense soon!" She laughed as she danced into the house, pulling Jasper by one hand and Emmett by the other.

"Mom?" Renesmee looked at me, her eyes full of questions.

"Let's all go sit down," I said, my voice shaking. "We have a lot to discuss."

****

"So, this is like, soul mates or something?" Renesmee was clutching Seth's hand in hers, and he looked like he had just won the lottery.

"Something like that," Emily nodded. She wasn't as comfortable in the house as Jake and Sam seemed to be, which automatically put Sam slightly on the defensive. "Seth will be whatever you need him to be," she said, gently. "You hold a lot in your hands right now, Renesmee. There is something very, very special about you. I'm glad your mother told you all of our legends," she said, though her eyes said something else.

"I'm sorry, Emily… Her mind progressed so fast, it was hard to find suitable bedtime stories after a while. I didn't think it would matter; I never thought we would come back here. Besides, we are just as bound to secrecy as you are." She relaxed and nodded, looking more like the sweet and gentle Emily that I had known as a human.

"Of course, Bella. This is all just so… unexpected." She was visibly shaken by the day's events, and I couldn't blame her. So was I. "If you're okay, I think that it's time for us to go to your old house," she said. "I understand if it's too painful, but Sue is very anxious to see you." She must have noticed me stiffen, because her eyes filled with sympathy. "She's not angry at you, Bella. She just wants the only piece of Charlie that's left in the world. We all stopped being angry at you a long, long time ago. When you saw Jake in the woods that night, a lot of questions were answered. It's okay, the alliance between us all is still strong."

Jake looked up at me, the stress of the last few days evident on his face, too. "Bells, I'll stay here with Renesmee and Seth… You should probably go with Emily now. We'll all stay here." I nodded at him, and Emmett stood up.

"Emily," I began, uncertain. "Do you think Sue will mind if I bring Emmett? I just… need him right now." She smiled her familiar, bright smile, and took my hand. She didn't even flinch at it's coldness, and I marveled at the change in the wolves and their wolf girls.

"Of course. We all understand that this is going to be difficult for you, too. He was your father," she said, tears shining in her eyes. We got into the car, Emmett behind the wheel. I sat in the back with Emily, leaning on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Emily. I can't tell you how much it means to have a part of my old family with me." She tightened her grip on me, and I realized that she was probably holding on for all she was worth, though it seemed very light to me.

"Bella, we _are_ your family. None of us ever stopped loving you, or worrying about you. In some ways, it was your choice that helped to break down some of the old prejudices, along with Seth's insistence that the Cullens were people, too. Honestly, I think we all just wanted you and Jake to both find happiness. A lot of the animosity disappeared when he imprinted; Naomi has been good for him. He struggled against the imprint at first, but when he saw you that night behind Charlie's place, something changed. He embraced it, and they are perfectly happy now. Seeing his pain ease at seeing you again helped things, too. It's weird, I didn't believe him when he said that you were still Bella under there, but you are."

"What about Leah?" I asked, warily. She hadn't been a fan of me as a human, I was sure she wouldn't be too thrilled with me as a vampire.

"Leah is almost a completely different person now. Since she met Brandon, she's softened in ways that none of us ever expected. She is my best friend again, and she understands that love really is worth any decision you might ever make. I think you'll find that Leah has forgiven you; when Jacob stopped hurting over you so much, she was able to let go of some of her anger. When she met Brandon, it all but dissipated. Leah is like she was before all of this imprinting and wolf stuff started… just my best friend, happy with her lover, happy with her life. Don't worry about Leah," she reassured me.

We pulled into the driveway, and I stepped out of the car to see Sue hurtling at me at a speed I wouldn't think a human capable of. She collapsed in my arms, and I held her up as we sobbed together. "Oh, Bella! I can't believe he's really gone!"

****

After a good cry, Sue and I sat at the kitchen table while Leah and Brandon puttered around the tiny room. Brandon had eyed me with some curiosity and fear, but Leah had hugged me and murmured her condolences when I walked into the house. I couldn't believe the difference in it; everything was repainted, and it looked more like a home than it had when I left it. There was love evident everywhere, and I was grateful that Sue and Charlie had found one another.

"Sue, there's something we have to tell you," Emily said. She eyed me, and I nodded.

"Yes, there is something pretty important going on now, and I hate that it's overshadowing Charlie's funeral," I sighed. "I have a daughter." Sue nodded, and smiled.

"Yes, Seth told me after he heard it in Jacob's mind. How extraordinary to know that something like that could happen. What is she like?" The honest curiosity in her eyes moved me, and Emmett cleared his throat.

"Look, Sue. Here's the deal. I know the girls want to tell you this, but Bella's gonna have a hard time getting it out. First of all, Renesmee is amazing. She's beautiful and smart, she's everything that's good in the world. She eats human food mostly, so there aren't any weird dietary things. Second of all, Seth has imprinted." His matter of fact tone seemed blunt, but I knew that I would have tried to sugar coat the whole thing, taking forever to get the words out. Just as Emmett finished his little speech, the front door opened. Seth and Renesmee walked in, hand in hand, to find an openmouthed Sue and a dumbstruck Leah.

"Hey, Mom! Guess Bells or Emily told you the news? Look at her, isn't she perfect?" Sue dropped into a dead faint.


	8. Chapter 8

**Bella POV**

Carlisle made it to the house in record time, but Sue was still beginning to stir when he arrived. The quiet in the house was deafening, only broken by the occasional sigh from Seth when he looked at Renesmee. _Everyone_ was looking at her. Leah, with a speculative gaze, as if she were sizing her up and trying to find her lacking in some way; Brandon, with outright shock and confusion. Seth was staring at her in the way that imprinted wolves do, like she held the whole of the relevant world in her slender hands. Emmett was watching her out of the corner of his eye, looking for the slightest sign that she was put off by Seth's staring; I knew that he wanted to tear Seth apart, treaty or no. The newfound familial closeness of the wolves and the Cullens was not enough to squash Emmett's paternal sort of concern, and I knew that I would have to talk to him soon. I didn't want anything to cause a problem for them. Emily was watching her for signs that she wanted to bolt, too, but for a vastly different reason. Her maternal protective instincts over her wolves matched Emmett's fatherly care for Renesmee in intensity, and she wanted to be sure that a defection from Renesmee wasn't on the horizon. Losing an imprint was a pain that a wolf probably wouldn't survive, and Seth was a favorite of all who knew him.

"She's coming around now," Carlisle spoke softly. "She's had quite a shock; this news would be shocking to anyone, and Sue is in the middle of an emotional crisis. I wish that the five of you would have considered that before you sprung this news on her." Carlisle looked at Emmett sternly, guessing correctly that his lack of subtlety had led him to just thrust the news upon her.

"Dr. Cullen, with all due respect, Sue is a tough lady. Emmett didn't do anything wrong; she had to be told. She was fine until Seth and Renesmee walked in." Emily looked cautious about defending my husband, but still strong and proud.

"Thank you, Emily. She's right, Carlisle. Everything was fine until these two came running in like a pair of high-school sweethearts. Sue's just on overload right now. I only called you to make sure that it was just a faint, not something more serious." Carlisle nodded, and snapped his black doctor's bag shut with a muffled clicking noise.

"Yes, it's just a faint. Her mind just needs time to process all that's happened over the last few days. I'm going to go back to the house, now. Esme is in a frenzy, trying to get the bedrooms arranged properly." I smiled, thinking of Esme's version of a "frenzy." She was probably very calmly giving orders to Alice and Jasper, a very soft-spoken and feminine drill sergeant.

Sue's eyelids began to flutter, and everyone sat back quietly, waiting for her reaction. She looked at Renesmee with steely eyes, and I had to remind myself to stay out of any altercation they might have. "So," Sue began, her voice hard. "You're half vampire."

"Yes," Renesmee stated, her little chin pointed out and held high. "I am."

"Do you hunt people? You have Bella's eyes, so I can't tell. I know the Cullens don't approve of such things, but I want to hear it from your mouth."

"Of course I don't," Renesmee said, horrorstruck. "I've never hunted a human. I have tasted human blood, but it was when I was a baby, and it was donated. No one died, or was even injured to provide that blood for me. I mostly eat the same things you do. I occasionally hunt wild game, but that's just a bonding thing with my family. I sometimes go with them, because it's one of the ways that we spend time together. _None of us_ would ever hurt a human."

"You say that you would never hurt a human, but there are other ways to hurt people. Look at my son. I know that Emily has explained the imprinting process to you; do you realize how easily you could completely break him? When you say that you don't hurt people, have you taken that into account?" Sue's eyes were still hard, but they had softened a bit at the mention of her son.

"I will _never_ hurt Seth. I guess the imprinting thing happens both ways or something…When I saw him, it was like the whole world stopped turning and nothing mattered but Seth," she said defiantly. "Carlisle and I have already talked about the chromosomal similarities between vampire hybrids and shape shifters, and he thinks that it might be built into us, just like it is them. My temperature is almost as high as his, and I am probably just as quick a healer, but we don't know because I've never been seriously injured."

Placated, Sue's resolve crumbled, and she pulled Renesmee into her arms. "Well, it's bound to be difficult, but welcome to this dysfunctional family." A thought seemed to occur to her, and she looked horrified for a moment. "Oh, Seth, she's your step-niece!" There was a half-beat of silence, and everyone dissolved into laughter.

"Sue is right," Carlisle began, "this will be difficult. Renesmee and Seth can not be separated, and we can not live in Forks. We will have to come up with a solution that covers everyone's needs, and that will not be easy."

"There's a lot of hidden land around here," Sue said. "Family is an important part of the Quileute tradition, and I do not want to be separated from my son and any children that he might have. I'm sure that Bella wants to remain close to her daughter. A solution will be found, I have faith in that."

"Sam will figure something out. Renesmee is part of our family now, which means that all of you are, too." Emily's unshakable faith in the abilities of her husband was apparent as she spoke.

I turned to Sue, and took her hand in mine. She flinched almost imperceptibly; human eyes would never have caught it. "Sue, I can't go to the funeral. There are too many people who will be there that knew me before." She nodded mournfully, her downcast eyes filling with tears.

"I know," she whispered. "I just wanted to see you; you're the only bit of Charlie that I have left, and I miss him so much." She pulled her head up, and squared her shoulders. "Besides," she said, her voice struggling to convey the strength inside of her, "your mother is planning to attend. I don't care how different you look, a mother will always recognize her child." At the mention of my mother, I felt the venom in my eyes begin to well up and sting them.

"Renee?" My knees weakened, and I sank to the couch next to Sue. "Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"Yes, she and Phil are going to be here soon, so it probably is best if you take off. If it's okay with all of you, can I come by the Cullen house when they leave? I don't want to be in this house alone tonight, and I have a feeling that Seth will be staying with you."

"Of course," Carlisle said, patting her gently on the shoulder. You're a part of our family now, too."

****

When we arrived back at the house, Esme really _was_ in a frenzy. She was barking orders in a voice I'd never heard, and moving furniture around like it was made of air. "No, Alice! We're going to put Sue in the guest room! Seth and Renesmee can sleep in Edward's old room, and you can keep your own. I'm sure Bella and Emmett won't be using their room tonight, so Sam and Emily can take it."

I stepped behind her and put my hand softly on her shoulder. "Esme, Sam and Emily are welcome to my room, but they have children to attend to. This is their home, they don't need a place to stay," I said gently. "Seth can take our room, and Renesmee can have Edward's."

She immediately looked shamefaced. "Oh Bella, how careless of me. Of course Seth and Renesmee can't share a room so soon. I just wasn't thinking. With all of these new family members, I don't know who is staying where, and I'm terrified that one of the locals is going to find out we're back. We haven't aged at all in almost ten years, and you still look enough like yourself that you could be recognized. I'm so happy we came back here and Renesmee found her mate, but being here will make me nervous."

"Esme," Carlisle whispered softly, "be calm, Beloved. There are details to be worked out, but everything will be fine." Esme slumped against his chest, and sobbed.

"Are you _sure,_ though?" I knew that Esme must be absolutely terrified if her unshakeable confidence in Carlisle was wavering enough for her to second guess him. "We've already drawn so much attention from the Volturi, and Forks is not safe for us. It has not been long enough."

"I've given this a bit of thought, and there are two immediate conclusions. The first is that the pack has not aged in seven years, either. While it's not noticeable yet, it soon will be. Perhaps the tribe is ready to come to terms with the supernatural beings that surround them. They all know the legends, they just don't know that they are true. The other is that Seth, Sue, Leah, and Brandon may have to join us in Montana. I don't know if they _can_ leave the reservation, though. In their minds, it would be tantamount to leaving the tribe without two of it's protectors. Sam and I will find a solution, beloved. Please, try not to worry." Carlisle was once again the voice of reason and the pillar of strength in a storm.

"Where are Seth and Renesmee?" Alice's little voice tinkled, her brow furrowed in frustration. "I will never get used to not being able to see her," she pouted.

"They went to the res. Seth wants to show her off a bit, I suspect," I answered, feeling a swell of pride.

"Bells?" The familiar sound of Jacob's voice brought a smile to my face, and I turned to face him. "Have you really thought about this? The imprinting thing, I mean? If they have kids…" he trailed of, and Carlisle stepped up to face us as well.

"If they have children," he began "they will most likely carry the shape shifter gene. The vampire genes will be diluted enough that the children will probably not crave blood, but they would never be able to stop phasing, I don't think. In theory, the constant vampire presence _inside_ of them would leave them unable to stop. These children would, therefore, also be ageless."

I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the grandchildren I did not yet have would never age. The strangeness of being a grandmother forever frozen at eighteen did not escape me in my happiness, but I shelved the thought for later consideration.


	9. Chapter 9

**Aro POV**

I sat in my study at the desk, pantomiming the act of writing a letter as I reminisced.

_Oh Didyme, _I thought. _I am so deeply sorry. Had I known the grief that your death would cause us all, I would have simply allowed Marcus to leave with you. Watching him grieve for you as he has for all of these centuries is truly a burden upon my conscience._

I thought about my sister, and the horrible death I had thrust upon her in a moment of jealous pique. I had sobbed over the pieces of her body, but I set them alight anyway, knowing it was the only way to insure my happiness. _I thought that Chelsea could bind him to us,_ I offered silently to my dead sister. _I thought that I could ease the pain of your loss, by binding him to me and showing him how deeply I felt for him._

When I turned my sister, I must admit, I did it out of curiosity. As a human, she was beautiful and talented; I could not help wondering how many of those talents would translate to one particularly special one in this life, should she become a vampire. Genetically, we were similar enough that perhaps she would also be powerful. So I stole into the place where she slept, and made off with her. I carried her through the night, back to the tower, and I bit her. Her sweet blood was so tempting, only the promise of what she could be persuaded me to stop. When she awoke, she _was_ talented, though her gift was not one that I found particularly impressive at the time. Didyme's gift was simple but powerful, and not at all useful: she made everyone around her happy. It was difficult to feel anything else in her presence. Naturally, this caused half the guard to fall in love with her, but she rebuffed all advances. Except one. The one person that I could not bear to see fall in love with her.

Sulpicia and I had been mated for well over a century at that point, and we were both fully aware of the intricacies of our arrangement. We seldom coupled, preferring to spend our time together in deep discussion. Together we philosophized, pondered, and debated, but very rarely did we ever make love. It was simply not a part of the relationship that we had forged, and Sulpicia understood. She was the only creature alive to know of the secret love I felt, the one that could not be spoken or acted upon, and she kept it safely guarded, never telling a soul.

One night, Marcus came to me with joy evident in each and every one of his features. With my permission as her blooded relative, he was going to be mated to Didyme, he told me. They were going to leave Italy, to travel the world and perhaps seek out Carlisle Cullen in order to see how his dietary experiment was succeeding. I smiled at him and gave my permission, but all the while my mind was working furiously.

I called Chelsea to my side, ordering her to strengthen the bonds that Marcus felt for the council, to weaken the ties he had to my sister. She attempted it, and found the bond was too strong to be affected by her talent. _"My lord," _she'd said, _"I cannon sever the ties of a mated vampire, it is not possible. They are bonded too tightly, there is nothing I can do._" Enraged, I sent her from my study and began to make my plans. I would have to be very well prepared in order to execute my plan; once I was in Didyme's presence I was likely to forget all of my desperation and anger as a result of her power.

I summoned her to the tower, under the guise of discussing her plans. When I embraced her, I read in her thoughts that no one knew that she was with me. Smiling at the unexpected good fortune, I looked even less threatening to Didyme. Why should I be threatening? I was only her older brother, looking to protect her.

"_Didyme, let us go for a walk around the grounds,_" I'd said to her. We left the castle, and wandered far into the wilderness as she told me of her plans. I fingered the flint in my pocket, the happiness that she exuded turning my thoughts to the joy that would be my life when she was gone. When we were a safe distance from the tower, I turned on her. The attack was so unexpected, she had no time to fight back. It was the work of an instant to dismember her and set the remains ablaze; when the joy that poured from her was extinguished, I fell to my knees and wailed in agony. I loved my sister, but I could not allow her to take my beloved from me.

When I returned to the castle, no one had yet noticed Didyme's absence. When it became apparent that she was missing, we all mourned. No one has ever known what truly became of Didyme that night, and I never had the inclination to tell anyone. I suspect that even my dear, understanding Sulpicia might find fault in my actions regarding my young sister and her mate.

Marcus never recovered from her loss. Chelsea's power has kept him bound to us, but only enough to keep him present physically. Emotionally and mentally, Marcus has been absent from the tower for centuries, mourning his lost mate. His apathy is the stuff of legends now, and many of our kind have forgotten that, for a time, he was filled with joy.

In young Nahuel's eyes, I see the same sort of devotion to another that must have been mirrored in my own for so many centuries. I could not help wondering how long it would take for the newling, Gianna, to see that same devotion, or how long it would take for her to seek her vengeance against the other young half-breed, Renesmee.

"Aro," Sulpicia's gentle voice spoke behind me, "the time has come. There is a human female being held below, and the equipment is in place. Because you find relations so distasteful, and because I can not condone a rape, I have decided to use the human method of artificial insemination." I heaved a heavy sigh, knowing that what she asked of me was a mere fraction of what I owed her, after all of the centuries that she'd spent at my side.

"Yes, beloved. I shall tarry here no longer; the moment of your great happiness is too near. Has anyone explained to the human what is expected of her?" I hoped to be able to carry out this distasteful business without having any contact at all with the human, though I knew it to be an unlikely aspiration.

"No, I thought it best explained by you. You do have a way with words, dear one." Her sweet face was open and trusting; Sulpicia was the only being on Earth who could look at me that way. The last person to trust me so implicitly was a pile of ashes by my own hand.

****

The woman in the sterile room below the tower room where we fed was shocking in her strength, and her foolishness. Having guessed what we were, she sat calmly on the medical gurney in the center of the room. As I approached, I checked her for the signs of an accelerated heartbeat or a rush of adrenaline that would betray the fear she was perhaps struggling to hide, but I found nothing of the sort. The girl before me was truly unafraid, with her heavy eye makeup and black clothing.

"I know what you are. I don't know if you've come to turn me, or what you have in mind, but I think you should know that I have searched for your kind all of my life." The determination in her eyes was quite charming, and her ill-advised bravery surprised me.

"What is your name, sweetling?" I spoke slowly, in English. The American girl before me thrust her chin out in a haughty gesture, and tossed her long, dark hair over her shoulder. Physically, she quite resembled Sulpicia… I could see why she had been chosen. Her lack of fear would also appeal to Sulpicia's tender sensibilities; she would be loath to terrorize a poor mortal.

"Alicia. My name is Alicia," she said, her regal demeanor still intact. "I don't know why I'm here, but I want some answers." Her audacity astounded and delighted me, and I could not suppress a chuckle.

"Alicia, dear. You are here because my wife has long desired a child, and we have recently discovered that male vampires can sire children with female mortals." Without hearing any of the risks, the girl hurried to respond.

"Done. I'll do it. Have a baby, whatever. But here's what I want in return; when it's all done and the kid is born, I want to be one of you." I nodded, mulling over the implications of turning this delightful, headstrong girl.

"Ah, I think that would be… unwise. You see, you might decide to claim the child as your own after your change, and then my wife would be heartbroken. I simply can not allow anything to interfere with Sulpicia's happiness." The girl snorted, a look of derision apparent on her face.

"No risk of that, trust me. Spawn hold no interest for me. I don't want the kid, I want immortality." I reached across the small space that separated us, pressing my palm to her shoulder.

Her thoughts came in flashes and blurs, strong thoughts from an exceedingly strong mind. Intrigued by the strength and courage of Alicia, my hand lingered as I tasted the flavor of her psyche. Truly, there were no maternal instincts present. However, there were plenty of nights in a seedy nightclub, filled with writhing bodies dressed in black velvet and leather, copious amounts of dark makeup and the pervasive scent of clove cigarettes. _Ah-ha,_ I thought. How intriguing; she was one of those strange humans that glorify death and decay… Goths, they called themselves.

Suddenly, I was overcome with curiosity. I could not wait to see what sort of vampire she would turn out to be. Shockingly beautiful as a human, she would perhaps be useful in the same capacity as Heidi, should her surprising mind turn out to be without a gift.

"My dear girl, you have not even asked me what birthing a hybrid child entails!" I clucked at her like a disappointed father. Before she could answer, I held up my hand and went on. "I can not be sure, I have only known two hybrid children, and only one of those mothers survived the birth. Of course, she survived it because there were those who cared for her nearby, and they were determined to save her. The mother of my newest addition to the little family I have collected here was alone, save for an ignorant human sister who was powerless against the stronger being that was carried within." She blanched at the implication that she might not survive the birth, but I pressed onward. "The period of gestation is approximately twenty-two days. At the end of that gestation period, should the child be allowed to reach full maturity and make its own exit from your womb, you will die and there will be nothing I can do to save you. However, if we use certain tools at our disposal," I said, remembering the letter Renesmee had sent to Sulpicia, detailing the circumstances of her birth, "the child can be removed relatively safely. Should the decision be made to turn you at that point, then you will be in excruciating pain for three days until the transformation is complete. Should I decide otherwise, you will most likely bleed to death on the very table where you now sit."


	10. Chapter 10

**Bella POV**

Weeks had passed since Charlie's death. We were still uncomfortably living in Forks, rarely leaving the house and never going into town, hoping against all odds that no one from town would have the inclination to drive past the house.

Because of Seth and Renesmee, the treaty had all but dissolved. The wolves came and went on our property, filling us in on the news on the rez, bringing their aging or their sick to Carlisle for examination. His office had a steady stream of patients, and he seemed at ease, still able to lose himself in his work, though he was not able to work in a bustling hospital.

Esme was a nervous wreck, starting at every loud noise and giving Emmett fits of joy when he realized that she was too distracted to defend herself from his practical jokes. The house was filled with laughter at his antics, though I often thought that Esme was going to rip him apart herself.

Jake spent more time in the house than any of the Quileutes except Seth. He often brought Naomi, who I had struck up a fast friendship with.

"Bells, I've been thinking. There's a big piece of land way out on the back part of the rez… it's far enough off the beaten path that no one would show up, and you guys would be safe there. Why don't you and Esme start planning to build something out there? We can keep the locals away with a few edicts from the Elders until we decide whether or not we're going to let the rest of the tribe in on the secret; it's really no big deal. Besides, we could sure use a rez doctor. I have a feeling that the council is going to vote to tell the rest of the tribe what's up; tribe pride and all. Anyway, why don't you talk to Carlisle about taking it?"

"Jacob, we couldn't accept such a generous gift," Carlisle spoke from behind me. "We would, of course, purchase the land from the council at fair market value. I would be honored to serve as the physician for the reservation, though. If you don't mind making the arrangements, I will meet with the Elders at their earliest convenience to discuss it." I felt the tension in my body begin to slowly melt away as I realized that we would be living on the reservation, safe from the prying eyes of the townspeople of Forks.

"Jake," I began, uncertainly. "Why are you guys doing all of this? The last time I saw you, you were all 'I can never see you again, I'm trying to quit phasing,' blah, blah, blah. Now the tribal council is welcoming their oldest enemies into the fold with open arms. I'm a little confused." Jake nodded, collapsing onto the couch and throwing his hand over his eyes in a gesture he'd picked up from me.

"Well, first of all, you have to understand how big of a deal imprinting is. Seth's bloodline makes him pretty important on the rez, and he's found his perfect mate in your daughter. We were beginning to think that he and Embry never would imprint, so that's a big deal in and of itself. At the same time, we can't have him running off to be with her; we have to figure the best way to keep her here, as long as that's what she wants. She loves the rez, has really hit it off with the other imprints, and is totally a part of the family now. We take care of our family. Besides, you've always been considered family, even though you've made some choices that we wouldn't have made for you, if it had been in our hands. You're family, she is… it makes the rest of the Cullens family, too. Besides, there really is a need for a rez doctor, and Carlisle is perfect for that. He understands the wolves unique physiology, and can take care of the rest of the tribe, too. Just because there haven't been any vampires around lately doesn't mean there will never be."

"But, with us here, all of your kids will be forced to go through this." My eyes stung as I spoke, thinking of little Sarah.

"This is who we are, Bella. It's what sets us apart from the rest of the world. Besides, I'm the only person who's ever really had a problem with the wolf thing, because I'm so stubborn and I felt like I was having choices taken away from me. The rest of the pack feels a little bit differently." He sat up, putting his elbow on his knees, his hands hanging down between his legs and his hair mussed from him constantly running his fingers through it.

I heard Emmett's heavy footfalls coming down the stairs, and I smiled in anticipation. Even after all of the years we'd been together, I still felt a thrill of joy when he was near.

"Hey, Puppy!" He shouted, his booming laughter filling the house. Jake laughed, and socked him in the shoulder. Emmett winced, feigning discomfort and rubbing the spot where Jake had punched him.

"What's up, Goliath? We're going to play some football in the clearing later, you guys should come. I need a good linebacker on my side."

"Excellent!" Emmett said, rubbing his perfectly formed hands together. I marveled once again at the easy relationship that Jacob and Emmett had formed, and caught Carlisle's eye. He smiled back at me, shaking his head.

"Boys will be boys, I suppose."

****

Esme had visibly eased when she heard us discussing the purchase of the hidden Quileute land, and had thrown herself into the planning and building. With the added strength of the wolves, the house was built and functional in just under two weeks, and we moved in the night it was finished. True to Jake's prediction, the Tribal Council had handed down the command that the people of the reservation avoid the area at all costs.

Instead of building them a house to themselves, Renesmee and Seth were sharing a large suite at the far end of the house, which Esme had thoughtfully soundproofed. Though it didn't make the room silent to the rest of us, it muffled any noise considerably. What wafted through was easily covered with music or the television, which I kept on constantly for fear of what I would hear coming from my daughter's room.

Not that they spent much time in it. Thrilled that his imprint was a physical equal, Seth took Renesmee to do things on the rez every day. Their particular favorite was cliff diving, which always caused me to blanch and Jake to roll his eyes and give me a playful shove with a smirk on his face. They climbed things and jumped off of them, swam farther out into the ocean than the rest of the pack and their imprints, and generally just caused mayhem and foolishness wherever they went. Because Renesmee had grown up with Emmett, there were no shortage of practical jokes, either. For the first time, I was able to see my daughter as a thoroughly happy and well adjusted young woman, and I was thrilled with the changes in her. Her sense of humor blossomed, and she was often full of laughter. Seeing the changes reminded me of how I must have been when I had first fallen in love with Emmett and learned to laugh again; startled at the discovery that I could be happy without my first love.

The Council had held off on making a decision about the rest of the tribe's knowledge of the vampires and werewolves in their midst, electing to instead make no explanations about the lack of aging. We were in a sort of limbo, though it was mostly a cheerful one. For the first time since I had met the Cullens, we were all content, for the most part. Esme had never gotten over her edginess completely, but she was much better than she had been before. Aside from her apprehension, there was no angst, no tears… only happiness and love.

One day Esme and I were at the old house in Forks, gathering some small, non-essential things we'd left behind. We'd left the house furnished, choosing to buy new things instead of moving the old ones. We were laughing and joking, Esme's mood lighter, more like the Esme I had always known and loved. When my cell phone rang, I was still laughing as I answered.

"Yes, Alice?" I said, my chuckling still uncontrolled.

"_Bella, we'll be there soon. Unless one of those _dogs_ gets in the way, then I won't be able to see anything. Just don't panic if they beat us there."_ Shocked by the urgency in Alice's voice and her uncharacteristic antagonism towards the wolves that we had all befriended, I hardened myself.

"Alice, what's wrong? Has something happened? Why are you angry at the Quileutes?" I felt my own anger rising, in Alice's direction. No matter what had happened, the people of La Push had treated us with too much kindness for her to cast aspersions.

"_No, they didn't do anything. I'm just upset because I can't see around them. If they weren't in the house all of the time, I would have seen this coming before, and you wouldn't be there alone. Bella, Felix and Demetri are on their way to the house. They don't know we've moved, because Demetri isn't really trying yet. He's led them to Forks, and when they get there, they'll go to the house, because that's where they assume we'll be. You and Esme have to stay there, they _can't_ know about the other residence. Please, don't be afraid. We'll be there soon." _The call ended abruptly, and I felt myself begin to tremble. Esme looked up at me, her eyes filled with terror.

"I knew it. I knew something was coming! I haven't been able to relax since we got back here." Before she could say anything else, Carlisle rushed into the room and swept her up in an embrace.

"Be calm, beloved. They are only coming to warn us. The Volturi has no quarrel with us, yet. As long as we can keep the alliance with the Quileutes to ourselves, there will be nothing to worry about."

Alice took a deep breath, and started talking in her typical, over-excited fashion. "Okay, they're going to be here in about twenty minutes, and they're going to be able to hear us in about fifteen, so I've got to get this out. They're coming to warn us, like Carlisle said. We have to act like everything is normal."

"What are they coming to warn us about?" Esme's voice sounded as shaky as I felt, and I reached over to grab her hand in an attempt to offer us both some comfort.

"Apparently, when Renesmee left, they decided to turn that bitch receptionist Gianna, because she had a little crush on Nahuel. That's all I can see, because he's all tangled up in this shit. If he were with them, I wouldn't have been able to see anything at all."

We all looked at each other, and Emmett's arms tightened around me. I must have been shaking, because he pressed his lips to the top of my head and whispered into my hair, "Shhh, it's all right, babe. Don't worry, it's all going to be okay."

We stood quietly after that, waiting for the Volturi guard to arrive and threaten the careful balance of the fairytale we'd managed to build.


	11. Chapter 11

**Emmett POV**

Bella and Esme were a fucking mess when we got to the old house, holding on to each other like their goddamned lives depended on it. I was trying to calm Bella down, but I was pretty keyed up myself. I was spoiling for a fight, even though I knew that big fucker, Felix, would give me a run for my money. Jasper looked like he could go for getting his teeth in some Volturi too, but Alice shot him a look that could wither flowers. "They're coming to _warn_ us, Jasper. _Stop_ that." After that, he just looked pissed, but he was sending out a bunch of calm and cool as a cucumber to the rest of us. Bella and Esme perked right up, and Bella didn't even seem to mind Jasper fucking with her mood like she normally did. I knew I should have killed that fucking Nahuel kid when I caught him kissing Reenie.

They finally knocked on the door, and there was a little hitch in Jasper's mellow for a second. Esme nodded at Carlisle, and he opened the door. "Felix, Demetri! To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"

With a smirk, Felix kicked up an eyebrow and snorted. "A newborn. An irate, but utterly inept newborn. She has no special skills, no talents above the norm of our kind whatsoever. Aro sent us to warn you merely as a courtesy, as he feels slightly responsible."

"Also," Demetri added, looking bored and unimpressed, "he felt like he owed you all a bit of an apology, after the unfortunate incident with your young hybrid. Whom is notably absent. Where, pray tell, is she?"

I figured it was best if I answered, so before anybody else could say anything, I piped up. "She's gone cliff diving. The sun doesn't keep her inside, you know." Demetri nodded, and stepped over the threshold, into the house.

"So," Carlisle said, "what is this about an angry newborn?" He gestured towards the couch, and all of us sat down somewhere.

"Aro saw fit to change her, though she was marked for death. She'd shown a… preference, we'll say, for Nahuel. Aro hoped that she would turn his thoughts from your young girl, but alas, that has not been the case. When it became apparent that she could not sway him, she became quite angry with your Renesmee, is it?" When Bella nodded, Demetri went on. "Yes, Renesmee. Well, she left a letter saying that she was off to avenge the pain of her beloved. She's fled Italy, having no idea where to find you. As Felix so tactfully stated, she has no special skills to assist her in her search, and the last known residence for your coven is in Montana. Perhaps she will never find you, but we thought it best to warn you. Also, Sulpicia asked that we give Renesmee this--" he tossed an elaborately wrapped gift box on the table-- "and her highest regards. As she is not here, I trust that you will pass the message along. I think that we'll leave now; I'm quite thirsty and we're under strict orders not to hunt in the immediate area. By the way, Dr. Cullen, you should expect an invitation from Aro within the week. His child is growing strong, and he would be honored if you would do him the service of insuring that the birth goes safely. He has grown attached to the human that carries the child, and has decided to model the birth after that of Renesmee. He would like for Alicia, the young human, to be turned. Shall I tell him that you accept his invitation, or that you respectfully decline?"

"Of course, I will accept. I will do everything in my power to see to it that the young girl survives, though I must say that I can not approve of a girl being held as breeding stock against her will." He shot an accusatory glance at Felix, who snorted again.

"Against her will! The girl is quite happy with her lot, and is anxiously awaiting a life of immortality. She readily agreed to the bargain, and Aro is likewise anxiously awaiting the arrival of his heir." Carlisle nodded, and stretched his hand toward Felix.

"Then you should tell my old friend Aro that I would be honored to deliver his child."

Demetri nodded, as he and Felix shook everybody's hand, and then they were gone. Just like that, with nothing to worry about.

"See babe," I said, pulling Bella's body close to mine and lifting her in the air, "I told you there was nothing to worry about. Just some damned newborn that Jasper or I could take care of with our eyes closed." She shuddered against me, and I held her tighter. "Don't worry about this, Bella. This is not going to ruin our happiness."

"It just seems like there's always something hanging over my head, Emmett. Even now, when I should be able to just be happy with my family, I have to worry about a crazed vampire that wants to kill us. Again."

**Bella POV**

The story of my life. A vampire ready to kill my whole family.

I tried to stay calm, remembering what Felix had said. Gianna had no special skills, and no way of knowing that we were living in La Push. "Alright, enough of this. Let's get the stuff we came here for, and let's get back to the house. I want to see what Renesmee has to say about this."

"Whoa, babe. Are you sure you want to dump this on her?" Emmett looked at me, his features full of questions.

"Yes, I'm sure. She's an adult now, and I have to treat her like one. I will not have her being kept in the dark, like Edward always did to me. Besides, we'll need to meet with the pack, to let them know what's going on. They'll be on alert for weeks, and I hate that, but I don't want anything to slip through the cracks. I also think we need to call Edward. He'd have a conniption if he heard about this one from someone else," I said, eyeing Alice in particular.

"If you tell him, he's going to come back here." Alice's tinkling voice sounded mournful, and I tried to soften myself towards Edward when I remembered how much she loved and still missed her favorite brother.

"I know," I whispered. "And he won't be welcome on the rez. Jake still has hard feelings about him leaving me, I think. It's just not a good idea. He'll have to stay here, with Raisa."

"Well," Carlisle began. "This house is quite large enough for all of the Denali, should they want to come with him. We'll not be using the house, and they will insist on accompanying us."

"What about Irina?" Esme looked horrified at the thought of asking Irina to stay in such close proximity to the wolves that have killed her lover, though Irina had acknowledged that Laurent was wrong when he tried to kill me.

"The time has come when Irina must choose sides. Her dead and traitorous Laurent, or her family. This is not going to be as simple as one disgruntled newborn. There is more to this, or Aro would not have sent them to warn us. A simple letter would have been sufficient." The hardness in my voice was not a surprise to me; Irina was not my favorite person on the planet, but my family seemed both shocked and approving.

"Very well. I think you're right, Bella. When we return to the La Push house, we will contact Edward."

None of us mentioned Aro and Sulpicia's pending parenthood. I, for one, was simply too bewildered at the prospect to comment.

****

Edward behaved exactly as I expected; he completely overreacted.

"We'll be there by nightfall," he'd said tersely, and ended the call. True to his word, Edward arrived at the Forks house with Kate and Garrett, Carmen and Eleazar, Irina, and Raisa. Irina surprised me with her warmth, and I began to wonder if I had misjudged her when I was a newborn.

"What else have you allowed to befall our daughter, Bella? Why would Gianna be after her? Because of Nahuel? I fail to see where a fledgling romance that never got off the ground could cause this much trouble. Of course, if you hadn't allowed them to go traipsing around the world together, this never would have happened."

That old film of red slipped over my eyes; the one that hadn't appeared since I was a newborn. "If. I. Hadn't. Allowed. Them? _If I hadn't __**allowed**__ them?_ Have you forgotten that _you_ were the one who brought Huilen and Nahuel into our lives? But for you, we would never have been worried about this! Don't you _dare_ put this off on me--" I was cut off by the sound of Renesmee's exasperated sigh.

"God damn it, Dad. Why do you always have to do this? You show up here, you upset Mom, you upset Alice… You talk to everyone like they're inferior, and then you wonder why no one ever calls you when things happen. You really want to freak? Guess what? Seth," she said, holding up their intertwined fingers, "imprinted on me."

A low hiss slipped from Edward's lips, and the answering growl that seemed to emanate from Seth's chest let me know that Seth was willing to fight his old friend, his old partner, over Renesmee. Emmett must have had the same idea, because he jumped between them. "Not cool, Reenie. That was _so_ not the way to break that news." While he chastised Renesmee, I turned to Edward.

Putting my hands on his biceps, I felt the ghost of the old attraction course through me. Just a hint; just enough to remind me how I once felt, and enough for me to channel that tenderness to put a soothing edge on my voice. "Edward, I'm sorry that she told you that way. You have to understand that she's still a rebellious teenager in a lot of ways, and she was just trying to defend me. Yes, Seth has imprinted, but it's a good thing, Edward. Apparently the hybrids can imprint, too… _She_ imprinted on _him_, as well. They're very deeply in love, Edward. Apparently biology has a better idea of what's good for her than we do… it's okay. Right now, the focus is on Gianna, and the threat that she poses."

I felt him ease under my fingers, and I whipped around to face my daughter. "And you! Don't speak to your father that way! He might be a jackass, but he is your father, and you will respect him as such." Chastened, she bowed her head and whispered an apology. Immediately, Edward's eyes softened, and he held his arms open tentatively. Renesmee flew into them, and I thought to myself that it was the first time I'd ever seen him touch her.

**Aro POV**

Alicia's pregnancy was progressing beautifully. She was gleefully draining the blood that Sulpicia brought her in golden chalices, growing large and round with each passing day. She was bedridden, because the strength of my child within her had broken two of her ribs and caused great bruises to blossom across her abdomen.

When the time came for her to be delivered of the child, Sulpicia insisted on being present. "I shall be there to see my child take its first breath, Aro." She'd stated it simply, but I had not the heart to refuse her. I summoned Carlisle Cullen, knowing that Alicia's time must be drawing near.

Two days after he was called, Carlisle arrived. He looked resplendent, with his golden hair and his pale clothing. The bag in his hand that held all of the medical paraphernalia he would need soothed me; I was slightly anxious. Over the weeks of Alicia's pregnancy, she had only been in contact with Sulpicia and myself, and I had grown quite fond of the girl. My feelings for her were almost paternal, but my interest in her strong mind had not dulled, either.

After a cursory examination, Carlisle spoke. "She is ready. It's best to deliver her now, before the child has a chance to tear its way out of her womb. Alicia, do you have a preference about who changes you? I would be in no danger of losing control, but I know that you must feel more comfortable with Aro and Sulpicia, whom you have known and grown fond of during this process."

"Yes," she said, and I rejoiced that there was no trace of fear in her eyes. "I want it to be Sulpicia. This exchange is between us; my child for her gift of immortality."

Sulpicia nodded. "Of course, dear one. I will be in no danger of losing control, either. As soon as the child is delivered, I will bite you. Then we will leave you to your change privately, so that you don't have to worry about maintaining your dignity. I assure you, the pain will be excruciating. I'm sorry that I can not take that pain away for you."

Alicia's chin jutted out in that stubborn way I had come to admire, and I marveled once again at the power the little mortal commanded. "I'm not afraid."

Carlisle inserted a needle into her arm that attached to an intravenous drip, and at the soft tearing noise a warm, soft scent filled the air. _Ah,_ I thought. _Her blood is sweet._ Carlisle took a long, intimidating needle from his bag, and asked Alicia to bend forward. "I'm inserting an epidural," he explained, "to deaden the bottom half of your body." He helped her to straighten up, and eased her onto her back on the table. He pinched her leg, and asked, "Can you feel this?" She shook her head, and he seemed satisfied.

He reached into his bag, and I found it difficult to suppress a chuckle as I recognized the tool in his hand. Though I had known the tool he used to deliver Renesmee, I was still amused to see it in the flesh, as it were. He placed the claw against Alicia's abdomen and pressed, and the bright, beautifully scented blood welled up and poured like a fragrant curtain. Within moments, Carlisle had extracted the child, Sulpicia had bitten Alicia, and was holding the infant.

"I want to name him Benicio. It means 'Benevolent One,' and it is my homage to you, Carlisle. For you are nothing if not benevolent."

We left the room as Sulpicia had promised, but I heard a whisper as I crossed the threshold.

"Aro? Please send someone." Alicia did not sound afraid, only mournful. Remembering the feeling of losing my own humanity, I decided to send Nahuel. He was the only person I could trust to keep her whole, and his gentleness would soothe her.

**Alicia POV**

The fire burned inside of me like I had swallowed a mouthful of hot coals. As the fire spread, I was vaguely aware of a voice that whispered sweet, comforting words. All through the burning, the softly accented voice soothed and cajoled me. When I finally opened my eyes, there was a beautiful young man standing next to the table where I had burned. Aro was at his side, and I sat up. Actually, I thought about sitting up and then I was upright; like my reactions were directly wired to my instincts.

"Ah, Alicia wakes! How glorious!" Aro clapped his dusty looking hands together, and I wondered who the boy beside him was. I recognized him, but only faintly. He was beautiful, but I could hear his heart beating.

"Shouldn't I want to kill this boy? I hear his heartbeat, but he doesn't smell… edible." Aro laughed, clapping his hands again.

"Oh, there is much to be explained to you about this young man. For right now, let us only say that he is quite, _quite_ taken with you."


	12. Chapter 12

**Bella POV**

The days immediately following the Denali's arrival went smoothly, all things considered. If she felt any compunction about the wolves, Irina kept it to herself, and Edward managed to keep his cool for the most part. He and Renesmee were in the process of forming a tentative relationship, getting to know one another. She was delighted to recognize some of her own mannerisms as a genetic gift from him, and he was likewise fascinated with her many similarities to us both.

Jacob grumbled about Edward's presence, but never specifically banned him from the reservation. He even went so far as to ask if the Denali would be helping us all fight whatever Gianna had planned, should it come to that. Seth, who had easily picked up his old camaraderie with Edward after the initial moment of tension, was itching for the chance to fight for Renesmee alongside him. "We make a great team," he said one day, his mouth stuffed with Alice's cooking.

"I think the time has come for us to go back to Montana for a while, to lie in wait for Gianna. I can't in good conscience have her traipsing about the country, looking for us and leaving destruction in her wake," Carlisle had stated at the last meeting. Everyone had nodded solemnly, and Sam began to divide the pack between who would stay in La Push, and who would accompany us back to Montana. Seth, of course, was at the top of the list of people who were going with us, along with Embry, Brady and Collin. Sam made the decision to only send those of the pack that hadn't imprinted, since the ones who had would not be able to bear the separation from their other halves for long.

As we packed for yet another move, I was tense. Emmett tried to soothe me, but he could probably tell that it didn't do much good; I had too many worries to be comforted easily. We packed lightly, knowing that most of what we would need would be in Montana when we got there; our habit of leaving houses mostly furnished was paying off lately. All of the constant moving was beginning to wear on us all. Edward, Raisa, Kate and Garrett would join us on our journey, while the rest of the family would return to Alaska. Though she was making a concerted effort, Irina's discomfort with the wolves was enough that she did not want to live with them, and it was apparent that the battle would not occur in Forks. We saw them off, and then piled into several vehicles to begin traveling.

We arrived back in Montana with the wolves, who were sharing the house that once belonged to Alice and Jasper. The rest of the family was staying in the main house, save for Seth and Renesmee, who I had grudgingly allowed to stay in the cottage that had once been mine and Emmett's. It wasn't long before we had visitors.

**Aro POV**

As taken as I was with my son, I had decided that it was time for Alicia, Nahuel, Demetri and I to go offer our assistance to the Cullens. I had also decided to feign surprise and distaste for the shape shifters that I was sure they had allied themselves with; when Felix and Demetri reported to me that they were once again in Forks, I knew it was a matter of time before the dogs came to the rescue.

Nahuel had detailed their existence to me, drawing his knowledge from the bedtime stories that Bella had told Renesmee when she was a babe in arms. Because I knew they were not true Children of the Moon, I had no particular quarrel with them. They were aware of our existence, but being just as beholden to the laws of secrecy as we ourselves were, I could find no fault in an alliance with them. I _was_ exceedingly curious about them, being the collector that I was, but I knew that the loyalty in them ran too deeply for them to ever leave the lands that they were bound to protect for long. I chose to feign that aforementioned distaste because I could not resist the opportunity to strike a measure of fear in the hearts of my old friend Carlisle and his family. For immortals, diversions are truly rare.

The sole reason behind my decision to bring Nahuel along with us on the trip was that he literally could _not _bear to be parted from Alicia. He had explained the imprinting imperative to me, based on his knowledge of the Quileutes, and stated that it was the only thing he could liken his sudden and absolute devotion to. I was shocked and amused at the turn of events, and felt a swell of gratitude towards the two of them for being such a wealth of diversion and interest. Truly, it seemed every day that something involving the two of them was evolving or changing.

Alicia's mind had proven to be just as gifted as I had predicted, and she had more than one useful gift at her disposal as a result. Her first gift was that anything she decided for herself, she could accomplish. She had chosen not to be a crazed newborn, and indeed she was not. Like one that was decades old, she was perfectly capable of reason and conversation. Of course, her thirst was still immense, and she fed far more often than anyone else. She also felt no compunction about draining humans, as I had feared she might. She would deliberately avoid the young children, but that was the only aversion she showed. Her other, and most interesting gift was that she had the ability to intercept and absorb the gifts of those around her, due to her ability to influence outcomes. For instance, in an argument with Felix fueled by her newborn temperament, she had been able to absorb Jane's talent for causing pain, and use it on Felix, simply because she wished to. Apparently, Jane did not even have to be near her for her to use her talent, for the gift lie in the fact that she could wish for an ability, and she would have it. She would need to only come into contact with a gifted being once to be able to take on their skills as her own.

We were all in awe of her, but none so much as dear Nahuel, who was enthralled by her. It took her several days of his constant presence to become accustomed to him, but she eventually began to cling to him as well. An inseparable unit, I was pleased to see them both so well mated. Of course, Gianna would be even more displeased to find out that her wrath was no longer directed at the right being, but it was not a worry I held… Gianna would be destroyed as soon as she was found, which would be done quickly once I set Demetri on her trail. The warning visit that Felix and Demetri had paid earlier was simply a courtesy; I never intended to allow her to draw near to them. Of course, I had known that they would go immediately back to the one place where Gianna would look for them first; it was in Carlisle's nature to desire containment of carnage.

When we arrived in Montana, I was pleasantly surprised at the sort of life that Carlisle had managed to build for himself. The grounds were extensive, the housing comfortable but elegant, and the wildlife plentiful. The latter appealed to me not at all, but I had decided that, while we were in their presence, we would attempt to adhere to their diet, mostly because it was another curiosity, another diversion. Boredom was my constant companion, and though this business with Gianna was helping to dispel it, I could not resist the challenge. Also, I wondered about the strength of animal blood. Would I feel the same power course through me if I fed from something that wasn't human? I couldn't be sure until I tried.

I was surprised, also, to see that the theatrical Edward was with them, along with his new mate. I heartily approved of Raisa, knowing that Bella and the big Cullen, Emmett, were perfectly matched. Twin towers of strength, his physical, hers emotional, they were a force to be reckoned with. The Quileute shape shifters, on the other hand, were not a surprise, though I acted shocked by them in the beginning. They grudgingly greeted me, but when young Seth shook my hand, I was genuinely shocked.

The flood of images and sound that came from him was so crowded and convoluted, I could not get a read of them. They flashed before me so quickly that I gasped, and I heard a low chuckle come from Carlisle as I snatched my hand away.

"I was curious to see what would happen when you tried to read from one of them. Their minds are interconnected… You just got a glimpse of the minds of several beings at once. It seems that, even in their human forms, some latent bit of connectivity remains." I was thunderstruck, for perhaps the first time in centuries.

"Do you mean to tell me that these creatures are of one mind?" I gaped at Carlisle, and looked back at the smug looking boy before me.

"Not exactly," Carlisle stated. "They are all separate beings in and unto themselves, but their minds are not divided. They are able to share thoughts and memories in their wolf forms, even over limitless distance. If Seth here were to shift into his animal form now, he would hear the thoughts and see the images in the minds of all the others that are currently in wolf form. It is an intriguing and eminently useful gift."

"I should think so! The force of those thoughts was so strong that I could not read even a single one! My dear boy, you are the first to confound me since young Bella!"

**Bella POV**

I was grateful beyond measure when Carlisle's quick thinking saved me from having to keep my mental shield around the entire family. We had told Aro when I visited as a newborn that the shield was involuntary, because we were desperately trying to keep him from knowing of Renesmee's existence, not realizing that he would be only intrigued by her, and not seek to keep her as part of his collection of oddities. As soon as Aro arrived, Carlisle explained that very worry to him, and shook his hand. Aro simply nodded, not prodding any further. "Of course, Carlise. I can understand your worry, I can only say that I wish you had more faith in me. We are friends; I would never seek to forcibly remove a member of the family you have so carefully built. Of course, there are certain members that are more than welcome to join me of their own volition, should they ever choose to do so," he said, eyeing Alice, Edward and myself as he spoke.

"And now," he began, "for the real purpose of this trip. I see that you have amassed quite an army to protect your young one, but I must say, it is quite unnecessary. I've brought Demetri along so that we may track Gianna and dispose of her ourselves. This is a mess of my own creation, and I will handle it accordingly. I should not have chosen to turn her, I sought only to offer a measure of comfort to Nahuel, who, as you can see, has found his comfort in the newling, Alicia."

I nodded in approval, grateful that Nahuel had found a mate and was unlikely to bother us with his undesirable presence again. Though he had formed a strong bond with Alicia, Seth still eyed him with open hostility, and Renesmee had greeted him coolly when he arrived.

Wearing the beautiful necklace of gold and rubies that Sulpicia had sent her, Renesmee had greeted Aro warmly. I supposed that her affection for Sulpicia was enough to be cordial to her husband, and Renesmee asked after Benicio with avid curiosity. The subject kept Aro engaged for the better part of an hour, and I was shocked to see the real affection that he held for his son. I felt my opinion of him begin to shift even further in the direction of grudging respect. I suspected that he could have crowed in delight on the subject for much longer, but Demetri carefully interrupted him.

"Master, Gianna comes this way. Would you think it best to pursue her, or to allow her to come here?" Demetri asked. Before Aro had a chance to respond, Emmett broke in.

"Let her come here. I've been itching to get my hands on that bitch since you first told us what was up." There was undisguised lust for violence in his eyes, and I wondered if mine were a mirror of that desire.

"Very well, Emmett. If you are not averse, Carlisle, we will await her presence here. There is certainly more than enough brawn to dispatch a single newborn here." Aro stated this calmly, glancing at Jasper's stony expression.

"When will she arrive?" Carlisle asked, regret apparent in his eyes. I knew he was loath to destroy anyone, even those whose destruction was necessary.

"Within the hour," Demetri answered. "She is not alone. There are five others with her."


	13. Chapter 13 The End

**Bella POV**

I gasped when the vampires came into view, not because I was scared, but because of who they had with them.

"Master, I could only see the vampires! I did not realize they'd brought a _human_ with them!" Demetri sounded horrified.

I recognized Gianna easily, remembering her human face through my dim human memories. With her was a vaguely familiar male vampire, and four female ones. I realized suddenly that the reason the male was familiar was not because we had met before; it was because he looked so similar to one whose face I was terribly accustomed to. _Joham._ He looked much like his son, but there was a hardness in his face that separated him from the soft, fickle Nahuel. In his arms was a struggling, terrified human girl whose face was covered mostly by his hands, but I still recognized her.

_Angela Weber._

"Angela!" I cried. The body in Joham's arms went limp, perhaps out of relief that someone knew her name and referred to her by it. When Joham released his grip on her face and moved his hands down to her arms, I screamed wordlessly.

"Bella?" she croaked, her voice hoarse with amazement and fear. "What is happening? Are you a vampire, too? You look so diff--" Her words cut of abruptly as Joham thrust his hand over her mouth again.

Gianna began to speak as she slunk towards Aro. "Ah, Aro. I will take great pleasure in dismembering you myself. You thrust me into this life, made me unchanging so that my love for Nahuel can never be forgotten. You thought that I had no gifts, but I hope you can recognize how wrong you were. My gift is one of loyalty… Any one of these five nomads you see before you would tear you to bits on the spot, out of loyalty and love for me. How ironic that I learned to inspire love in other creatures, only after being scorned by this _boy_ before me! As for the human girl, she is a testament to the faith you didn't have in me as well. I kept all of the records for the Volturi for two years as a human. Do you think I would forget where _Bella,_" she spat the name with a foul bitterness, "was living when she came to us? In a town so small, it was a matter of supreme simplicity to snatch someone that Bella was bound to know. This girl was a teacher at the high school where she and Bella graduated. It was easy to pluck her from her classroom after the school emptied… sometimes diligence does _not_ pay off, Angela," she said to the girl. "If you'd gone home when the rest of the faculty left, perhaps you would still be safe. As for you, " she said to Aro, snarling, "I've had enough of you." She lunged, but began writhing in midair, falling in torment to the ground.

I had no idea what was happening to Gianna, and I looked to Aro. My first, frenzied thoughts were of Jane, though I knew she had not accompanied them to Montana. When our eyes met, he eyed Alicia meaningfully and I looked at her. Her face was a mask of concentration, and I realized that her powers must be greater than we had realized.

**Aro POV**

_Ah,_ I thought. _Alicia._ I looked to her, and saw pride and a dark sort of enjoyment on her face. The Cullens looked shocked, and I remembered that I had not told them of Alicia's gift. The four nomads leapt to her defense, only to find themselves paralyzed by the talent she had taken from Alec.

With the intruders struck still by Alicia's gift, Bella raced forward and plucked the now-screaming human from Joham's grasp. The girl, Angela, fell into Bella's arms and wept, and I motioned for Bella to bring her near to me. As the Cullens and the shape shifters then rushed Gianna and her followers, working together in the unequal groupings, rending the beings before them with a terrible screech, I whispered to Bella that she and her human friend were safe. She nodded and stood behind me, and I noted with grim satisfaction that Nahuel was gathering the pieces of his father, throwing them forcefully into a pile that he spit on before setting ablaze. Gianna still roiled in torment on the forest floor, and I stepped back from her, motioning towards Emmett. He grinned at me with a grim sort of satisfaction, and began slowly separating her limbs from her body, causing her as much pain as possible. When she was thrown onto the blaze, Alicia's face relaxed and the Cullens fell back into place with me. The whole thing had taken place so quickly that the Denali were still hanging back, awaiting a chance to come to aid when the smoke curling up to the heavens began to fade.

The girl in Bella's arms was shaking and on the edge of hysteria, having seen the heard the destruction though Bella had kept her eyes shielded from it.

"Bella," I spoke gently, trying not to alarm anyone, "I gather that you know this girl?"

Bella looked up from her attempts to comfort the shaken and emotional girl, nodding and biting her lower lip. "Yes, she was my best human friend in Forks. I know her."

"Then I truly regret what I have to remind you of. You know that there are no exceptions, young one. She must die, or she must be turned." Angela's sobbing stopped with an abrupt hiccup, and she looked up at me, her eyes wide with fear.

"You mean if I'm not… if they don't… if Bella doesn't make me a vampire, you're going to kill me?" Nodding at her observation, I allowed the news to sink in before I proceeded.

"Yes, Angela. You have quite a choice to make."

The girl didn't even pause before blurting, "I don't want to die!" She began sobbing again, and Bella pulled her in close, murmuring comforting nonsense into her hair.

Suddenly, a voice rang out above the others. "NOOOO!" It was one of the Quileutes whose name I'd not learned.

**Bella POV**

I would have thought that the stress of the day would be enough to shut Angela down, but she struggled in my arms. "I don't want to die!" she cried, and then fell back into my embrace, sobbing violently.

Before any of us had a chance to respond, I heard Embry's voice, sounding strangled and tortured, screaming out a passionate, "No!"

When I looked up at him and noted the slap-happy look on his face and the terror, I groaned audibly and released Angela, walking backwards until I could sense the steps of the porch behind me. I sank down on them, sitting with my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands.

"Well, isn't this just fucking perfect," I said, not even noticing my unintentional profanity. Everyone else must have decided to ignore it too, because not even Esme commented.

"Are you serious?!" Emmett thundered. "I can't take any more surprises today! If Mike Newton shows up here, I'm going to be pissed! Dude," he said, directing his surprise at Embry, "how have you never met her before?"

"I don't know," Embry gasped. "I just… haven't. Angela? Her name is Angela?"

Aro arched an eyebrow, and stepped towards Emmett with his hand outstretched. Emmett clasped Aro's hand firmly in his, and Aro's eyes widened. "Well, this changes everything," he said, releasing Emmett's hand and taking a step back. "However, she could always choose differently. Should she choose not to be with him, she would once again be forced to submit to the law. I am making a great concession for the other imprints as it is, because they are also bound to secrecy along with the shape shifters. Don't make me regret that," he said, menacingly.

"Don't worry," I said wearily. "I've never seen anyone who was able to resist 'that level of commitment,' as a good friend once put it. On the off chance that she does, I offer you my word that we will," I swallowed thickly before going on, "…take care of it."

"Bella, I must have this promise from a member of your family whose thoughts I can see." Alice danced lithely over to Aro, and stuck her hand out towards him.

"Déjà vu, huh?" she giggled, no doubt remembering the last time that she struck such a bargain.

"Indeed, Alice. I will expect to see a wedding announcement, an obituary, or a new addition to this family soon. Please, don't cause us to come down on the Cullens… I am so fond of you all." He chuckled, and turned to Carlisle.

Carlisle nodded, and shook Aro's hand as well.

Kate spoke up, trilling a laugh. "I must say, visits with the Cullens are always _highly_ entertaining. And I thought this was a wasted trip," she giggled, taking Garrett's hand. "We didn't even have a chance to get our hands dirty," she sighed. The Cullens and the Quileutes laughed, slapping each other on the back and congratulating each other loudly, with the exception of Embry, who stood slack jawed and staring at Angela.

**Aro POV**

After quite a showing on the part of the Cullens, I agreed to leave them to sort out the business at hand for themselves. Turning to Carlisle, I spoke with amusement, but still a bit of warning. "Well, now that this distasteful business is completed, I think that I shall return to Italy. I regret that I have not had the chance to sample the local cuisine," I chuckled, "but there is always next time." Carlisle shook my hand, patting me on the shoulder as he did so.

"You are always welcome here, Aro. You don't have to wait for something of this nature." I nodded at him, and realized that my old friend's distrust was beginning to waver. Slowly, I was earning my way back into his good graces, which I had sought to do for centuries.

**Bella POV**

The battle with Gianna and her coven could barely be referred to as such; it was finished so quickly that Renesmee was still in the house when the smoke cleared.

Aro left, taking Nahuel, Alicia, and Demetri with him, but not before I had the chance to have a conversation with Alicia. I found that I genuinely liked her; she was tough and immeasurably talented, but there was a fierce loyalty that would keep her from ever seeking to displace Aro as the head of the Volturi. I suppose that loyalty was what kept her alive, knowing that he would be able to see the slightest wavering in her allegiance to him with a single touch.

"I wanted to be a part of this life before I even had proof that it existed. My resemblance to Sulpicia was all that kept me from becoming food for this lot," she said, gesturing towards Aro with an affectionate smile. "I'm happy with what and who I am now. Nahuel has changed much for me, as well. He sat with me through my transformation, and I think that strengthened my feelings for him. It's like we share something quantifiable that I don't share with anyone else."

"Yes, I understand that," I said, thinking of Emmett's strong arms holding me close to him during that terrible time that I spent burning on a table. "It does change things, somehow."

****

Life went back to normal quickly after that. We moved back to La Push, where Renesmee promptly moved into the Clearwater's house with Seth. Leah had recently moved out of it with Brandon, and Sue wanted to stay in Charlie's house.

Alice went wild with plans for a wedding, one more elaborate than mine and Edward's, even. Angela was mostly bewildered by everything, but madly in love with Embry. It took them almost no time to set a date, and she was two months pregnant when she walked down the ornately festooned aisle.

She explained to me before the wedding why she was at the school late the night that Gianna found her, and I shuddered to hear her story. It reminded me so much of my own black depression when Edward left me that it hurt to hear.

"Ben and I had broken up," she said, no hint of regret in her voice. "I was so devastated, I couldn't even begin to deal with it. I didn't speak unless it was necessary, didn't eat very often… I was sort of like a zombie, I guess. I threw myself into work and ignored everything else. One night I was there late, grading papers, and this man came in through the open window. Before I could blink, he had me out the window and in a car, heading towards you. Of course, I didn't know that at the time. He explained to me that they were vampires, and that someone I knew was responsible for my kidnapping. I was terrified," she shuddered then, and continued. "When I saw you there, I was dumbfounded. You look amazing, but you're so different! Anyway, I would have loved Embry without all of this, but I have to say, I'm grateful things turned out the way they did. It might have been years before we met, if I hadn't been snatched up by crazed vampires." She laughed as she finished her sentence, and there was no trace of the brokenness she spoke of left in her eyes. She had found a mate in Embry as sure as I had found one in Emmett, or Renesmee and Seth had found in each other.

She had taken remarkably well to the revelation that Embry had imprinted, and the explanation of what that entailed. Perhaps her earlier encounter with the supernatural had prepared her, because she took to life as a wolf girl with finesse. She and Emily hid out a lot in Emily's kitchen, and the whole slew of Quileutes and Cullens built them a small log cabin to begin their life in, on the edge of the secret Cullen land on the reservation. The rest of the tribe still didn't know the secret, and the elders had elected to keep quiet in light of the Volturi's knowledge. Carlisle continued to treat the wolves and the Elders, which proved to be a full time job in and of itself. As far as I knew, he never regretted his decision to stay on as their personal physician, but he did work nights at the hospital in Seattle as well.

He delivered Embry and Angela's baby girl, Samantha. The pack and the Cullens were all crammed into the living room of their little cabin, because Angela had insisted on a home birth. When Embry presented his daughter to us, tears streamed down his face that he made no attempt to hide. As Renesmee held her close, Seth beamed with pride, and I wondered how long it would be until they decided to get married themselves.

Our lives were happy, and largely uneventful, as far as these things go. They were filled with the little events that make up a normal life; births, deaths, weddings… We said goodbye to Sue Clearwater on a stormy August night, and Renesmee comforted Seth as Leah and Brandon made funeral arrangements. The Cullens stayed away from the funeral home, save for Renesmee, who clung to Seth like a barnacle. Old Quil Ateara passed not long after, and the tribal council was suddenly made up mostly of a younger generation. The constant presence of vampires in the area caused a new generation of wolves, as well, and Sam was happy to take all of them under his wing, so to speak. He began to carefully plot out a way to explain the lack of aging to the tribe, but no one seemed to question it much. If there was gossip, it never reached our ears. Perhaps the tribe had partially believed in the legends all along.


End file.
